CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti applauds the passage of a bill to allow township trustees to initiate referendums to consolidate townsh
ip road districts in all Illinois Counties. Currently, only township trustees in Cook County have this power.
There are 1,391 township road and bridge districts which are legally separate from the 1,430 general townships in the State of Illinois. These two types of local government account for nearly one-third of the 8,516 local governments in Illinois, as counted by the Illinois Comptroller.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Since November 2016, two townships in Cook County (Wheeling Township and Hanover Township) have successfully initiated and passed referendums to consolidate their road districts. Officials from both townships anticipate greater service efficiencies and taxpayer savings from consolidation.
In addition to empowering township trustees to initiate consolidation referendums, Lt. Governor Sanguinetti supports separate legislation that would empower citizens to initiate similar consolidation referendums through the petition process.
HB 607 passed 75-34-3 in the House and 43-7-1 in the Senate. The bill will soon make it to Governor Rauner's desk.
"I applaud the General Assembly for passing this bill to give all townships - not just those in Cook County - the authority to consolidate as they deem necessary,” said Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti. "We pay the highest property taxes in the nation and, not coincidentally, we have more units of government than any other state. This bill is the start of a larger effort to give both citizens and local boards the power to consolidate government."
"I'm glad to support this bill which empowers voters to choose what's best for their community,” said Representative Tom Demmer. “If consolidation makes sense for them, they can now choose to lower the cost of government and reduce their tax burden."
Sponsors for HB0607 include Representatives Sam Yingling (D-62), Tom Demmer (R-90), Deb Conroy (D-46), David McSweeney (R-52), Kathleen Willis (D-77), Grant Wehrli (R-41), Martin Moylan (D-55), Allen Skillicorn (R-66), David Welter (R-75), Carol Sente (D-59), and Thomas Morrison (R-54).
Senate Sponsors are Senators Julie A. Morrison (D-29), Karen McConnaughay (R-33), Laura M. Murphy (D-28), Tom Rooney (R-27), and Dan McConchie (R-26).
