ILAPA News BURST! Village of Libertyville Comprehensive Plan

STaR Division by Paul Bednar, RLA, AICP, ASLA

	Each year when you receive your invoice to renew your APA/ILAPA membership, you are also given the option of joining one or more of the Divisions of APA. Unlike Chapters that are geographically based, Divisions are based on some aspect of planning and are nationwide in scope. One of the most dynamic of APA’s Divisions is the Small Town and Rural (STaR)Division. STaR is dedicated to planners in small towns and rural areas of the USA and Canada. While many of you could not imagine working as the only planner in your agency, many of STaR’s members are solo practitioners who are called upon by their agency’s Planning Commission and City Council to provide professional guidance on planning issues. Further, these planners typically have less experience than metropolitan-area planners, and consequently, they look to STaR for answers to general planning and zoning matters that come before them. Another group of planners that often need guidance from STaR are county planners. STaR is nationally known for its work in agricultural land preservation and counts recognized experts in conservation design among its members. Finally, many planning consultants located in metropolitan areas are STaR members due to their client base in rural areas. Small town and rural planning outside the Chicago and St. Louis areas is quite different than metropolitan planning, and the STaR connection has proved invaluable to these planning consultants when working with respective elected officials and staff. What are the benefits of joining STaR? The following list is just a sampling: Access to our quarterly newsletter, an eclectic mix of planning information, planner profiles, planning management and technical planning, as well as the most fascinating photography of small town and rural America of any Division newsletter. Access to the STaR message board where questions to your planning questions can be posted and responses received from throughout the country. 24-hour “rapid response” to any questions posed directly to the Division Chair, Dale Powers of Kendall County, Illinois. Qualification for the STaR Awards programs for best small town plan, small town planner, and student awards. STaR is also working on an initiative for AICP certification maintenance whereby if your work location is outside a metropolitan area, 100% of the credits required for maintenance can be obtained through APA-approved self-paced study materials. Further, STaR is also working on a subsidy of the costs of maintaining certification for those STaR AICP members whose income falls below the state median. STaR is excited about the menu of services offered to its 750+ members nationwide (including 33 here in Illinois), and we would like you to consider joining our Division. We believe the $25.00 annual dues are returned to you and your agency several times over in service. For more information about joining STaR, contact Division Chair Dale Powers at dpowers@co.kendall.il.us or Membership Coordinator Paul Bednar at paul@paulbednar.com

	Paul Bednar, RLA, AICP, ASLA Paul Bednar Planning and Design Elgin, Illinois 847.741.7969 paul@paulbednar.com