DuPage County’s successful government consolidation model is expected to save taxpayers more than $100 million over the next 20 years.
To take local government consolidation to the next level in Illinois, state Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) passed Senate Bill 3, which will spread DuPage County’s bipartisan government consolidation model statewide.
“It’s important that we continue to explore different methods to make sure government is working for Illinois residents,” Cullerton said. “The best way to lower property taxes is to empower voters to get rid duplicate forms of government. This is one small step we can take to lower property taxes without sacrificing the quality of government service.”
Senate Bill 3 allows counties to dissolve certain units of local government through a voter referendum. Cullerton knows these savings allow for lower property tax rates and provide residents with necessary services.
Cullerton passed Senate Bill 494 in 2013, which created the DuPage County government consolidation model used in Senate Bill 3. County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and Cullerton worked to create an innovative government consolidation model that can be adapted to work throughout the state.
The head of the Illinois Municipal League (IML) applauded Cullerton’s efforts.
“It’s encouraging whenever the General Assembly considers legislation intended to consolidate government services and reduce areas where local services needlessly overlap,” Brad Cole, executive director of IML, said.
“We ran a tight ship for taxpayers when I was Villa Park village president. I’m taking the lessons I learned to the state level,” Cullerton said. “My goal is to save money, reduce taxes and make sure government is working for the people. This legislation accomplishes just that.”
Senate Bill 3 passed the Senate with bipartisan support.
