Last year legislators from both sides of the aisle came together to approve a “smart streamlining” bill (Senate Bill 3) that would enable all 102 Illinois counties to begin merging or eliminating overlapping, and arguably, unnecessary units of government, including many of our 1,400 antiquated townships.
Illinois has 7,000 units of government, more than any other state in the nation. In fact, there are more governing bodies in Illinois than in New York and Florida combined, even though both states far outpace Illinois’ population. Partly due to all those governments, Illinois has the second-highest property taxes nationwide.
SB 3 gives local governments the flexibility they need to make the most out of limited resources by, when appropriate, consolidating or dissolving districts and townships into more efficient governing bodies.
The Better Government Association supports SB3, along with other non-partisan organizations and advocacy groups across the state, including Transform Illinois, of which the BGA is a member.
SB 3 gives Illinois an opportunity to become a national leader in government efficiency.