Map courtesy of the Illinois Association of REALTORS®
Press release from the Office of the Governor:
Governor Bruce Rauner [on Feb. 5, 2016] joined Lt. Governor Sanguinetti, legislative leaders and local elected officials to announce four bipartisan pieces of legislation to streamline local government delivering more control to local communities…
According to the US Census of Government, Illinois has more local units of government than any other state in the nation at 6,963. Illinois also has the second-highest effective property tax rate in the nation. These four pieces of legislation help reduce state barriers to consolidation, and empower taxpayers and local leaders to pursue efficient and effective government.
The proposed legislation includes:
Citizens Empowerment Act: Empowers Illinois citizens and local governments to consolidate duplicative, excessive or unnecessary units of government via referendum. Sponsored by: Sen. Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington), Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) and Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon)
DuPage County Consolidation Powers Expansion: Provides that the Local Government Reduction and Efficiency Division of the Counties Code applies to all counties which currently only applies to DuPage County. Sponsored by: Sen. Michael Connelly (R-Wheaton), Sen. Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington), Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo), Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield), Rep. Grant Werhli (R-Naperville) and Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon)
Evanston Township Consolidation Expansion: Extends to all coterminous townships and municipalities the same authority to consolidate that is currently only provided to Evanston. Sponsored by: Sen. Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) and Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon)
Township Consolidation: Removes arbitrary barriers to township consolidation that exist in statute so local residents or units of government can consolidate if they so choose. Sponsored by: Sen. Dale Righter (R-Mattoon), Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) and Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon)
Read the full release here.