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Legislation could give county boards more oversight

At least partly in response to financial scandals involving two DuPage County agencies, two suburban lawmakers are pushing legislation to give top county officials more oversight over the people they appoint.

Legislation that was approved by a Senate panel this week could give officials like DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin the power to demand budget details and other financial information from any board he appoints.

Sen. Susan Garrett, a Lake Forest Democrat, is carrying the legislation and said it's important for county officials who aren't elected to be accountable to county board members who are.

Sen. Ron Sandack, a Downers Grove Republican, also is pushing the plan and said it stems partly from problems in DuPage County, where the housing authority recently was stung by a federal audit. The audit report revealed the agency either misspent or failed to account for more than $10 million. Auditors put part of the blame on the DuPage Housing Authority board.

This week, Cronin called for the resignation of the entire DHA board. So far, four of the six housing board members officially have stepped down from the unpaid positions.

Meanwhile, the panel that oversees the DuPage Water Commission was revamped after the agency accidentally spent $69 million in reserves through poor accounting practices and lackadaisical financial oversight.

Sandack said the proposed state measure would make it easy for county boards to monitor the goings on at agencies overseen by county appointees.

“There'd be some oversight,” said Sandack, who replaced Cronin in the Illinois Senate. “There'd be some accountability.”

Cronin said he sought the legislation because “taxpayers deserve answers and accountability.”

“The structure is fundamentally flawed and needs to be changed,” Cronin said Wednesday.

In DuPage, for example, Cronin and the county board are responsible for appointing nearly 240 people to about four dozen different boards and commissions. They include fire protection districts, sanitary districts and mosquito abatement districts.

“This legislation will enable us to take a closer look at these independent agencies, ask the tough questions and give DuPage residents the type of open, accountable government they expect and deserve,” Cronin said.