Illinois task force calls for less units of government
By Kevin Beese For Chronicle Media — January 15, 2016
Illinois Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti
Illinois would have fewer townships and school districts, and less regional sharing of public equipment, if recommendations of a state panel are put into action.
If all of the panel’s recommendations were enacted, the state would also not have prevailing wage and allow local control over what issues would be open for collective bargaining in public pension benefits, items which don’t sit well with Democrats who served on the advisory group.
The Task Force on Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates has issued its final report to Gov. Bruce Rauner, proposing 27 recommendations for action.
“This report is the culmination of an 11-month effort of the Task Force joining together in support of proposals to structurally reform state and local government, and get Illinois back on track,” said Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti. “As a mother of three, I want my kids to live in a better Illinois. I want them to live in a state that tackles its fiscal and structural issues head-on, with real reform.
“I hope our leadership in the General Assembly puts politics aside and considers the needed reforms in this report.”
The report points out that Illinois is the only state where the majority of its residents pay taxes to three layers of general purpose local government: municipalities, townships and counties. That contributes to Illinois residents paying the second highest level of property taxes per market value of their homes at 2.32 percent, they noted.
Task Force members said that is just one in a litany of dubious honors that state hold regarding taxes. Others include:
- Fourth highest state and local wireless communication tax rate.
- Fifth highest combined state and local gasoline excise tax rate.
- Being one of only seven states that charges a general sales tax in addition to gasoline excise tax rate.
- Eighth highest local tax collections per capita.
- 10th highest local combined state and local sales tax rate.
- 13th highest state and local tax as a percentage of personal income.
“Any efforts to address Illinois’ high tax problems must include an examination of the numerous layers of local government,” the Task Force wrote in its report.
Five of the panel’s 27 recommendations target the possible consolidation or elimination of township governments: from changing the law requiring townships to be no larger than 126 square miles to allowing counties with fewer than 15,000 parcels and $1 billion in equalized assessed valuation to be able to eliminate township assessors and multi-township assessment districts and create one county assessor’s office.
The Task Force recommendation also calls for an easier process to consolidate school districts.
Norman Walzer, senior research scholar and project director at the Center for Governmental Studies at Northern Illinois University, said times and needs have changed since many of the units of government in Illinois were created.
“Much of the existing governmental structure was created under very different conditions that determined how public services are delivered,” Walzer said. “Concern about the large number of governmental units in Illinois, compared with other states, has triggered several attempts in the past to update or modernize the current delivery system.”
State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, (D-Westchester), who served on the Task Force, said it is not realistic to think much will come from the report.
“The objective is good. There is too much government in Illinois,” Welch said. “Anything we can do for governments to be consolidated where we can should be done. Illinois leads the way in too much government.”
However, Welch said, there is a lot in the report, such as the “anti-union” recommendations and other parts of Governor Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda, he does not support.
He thinks the report will not gain much traction during the state’s current financial woes.
“I don’t think people are going to give the report much attention right now,” Welch said. “We need to get a budget passed. People are struggling. They are saying ‘Let’s get the budget done first.’”
State Rep. Jack Franks, (D-Woodstock), who also served on the Task Force, said the panel lost some credibility by pushing the governor’s goals.
“My criticism is that it was not necessary for the Turnaround Agenda items to be in front of the commission, to be debated and have votes on them,” Franks said. “Yet they continued to press forward. It makes one question whether this was a political arm or a policy arm.”
Franks said that steps do need to be taken to provide tax relief for Illinois residents.
“Property taxes are obscene,” Franks said. “One way to lower taxes is to rein in pension costs and implement (government consolidation) referendums, issues I passed in the state House.”
— Illinois task force calls for less units of government —
