EDWARDSVILLE - The Madison County Government Relations Committee released a proposed county board map reducing the number of paid elected county board members from 29 to 26.

Republican Candidate for Madison County Treasurer Doug Hulme has been pushing for a reduction in the size of the Madison County Board for over 12 years and says the taxpayers deserve a bigger cut in the size of the board.

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Hulme placed a resolution before the Madison County Republican Central Committee that was adopted earlier this year and called for a “significant reduction” in the size of the Madison County Board. County Board members are paid about $14,500 a year.

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“As the former Madison County Administrator for Kurt Prenzler I can tell you that a cut of ten county board members would save taxpayers around $1.5 million over the next ten years,” Hulme said. “I ran for county board in 2010 pushing for a county board reduction to 15 members and it was opposed by then-Chairman Alan Dunstan. The county board should be thinking about the taxpayer’s pocketbook with a deeper board reduction than their fellow board member’s political careers.”

Earlier this year the county board rejected Chairman Kurt Prenzler’s county board map 28-1 which called for 25 county board members.

Most Illinois counties the size of Madison County have around 18-20 paid elected county board members. Madison County’s 29 member board is the maximum allowed by Illinois Law.

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