Lee and Ogle County are one step closer to getting a new enterprise zone.
The State Enterprise Zone Board released preliminary rankings this week on 18 counties applying for 12 new zones.
Saukvalley.com reports Lee and Ogle Counties already have a zone but it expires next year. The two counties placed sixth in the rankings, and if their application is accepted, they can both renew their zone and tweak it. Tweaks would include reduce the zone's footprint while expanding into Rochelle and Dixon’s corporate limits.
State enterprise zones provide exemptions to a variety of business taxes, and while the state decision isn’t bound by application rankings, they’re a guideline to strength of applications. Another application in the rankings is the Illinois Valley, which includes parts of LaSalle and Oglesby.