Consolidation group wants government-cutting powers for all counties
A statewide group led by Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti wants every county to have the same government-eliminating powers that Illinois lawmakers have given to DuPage County.
The Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force put together by Gov. Bruce Rauner voted Wednesday to recommend county boards gain the ability to wipe out some governments. It also voted to recommend a four-year ban on creating new governments and giving voters more power in trying to eliminate them.
None of the recommendations are binding.
DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said that some counties aren't asking for the same government-cutting authority state lawmakers gave his county in recent years, and they don't have to choose to use it.
The group put off voting on a plan to create a new panel of lawmakers that would regularly review laws that put burdens on local governments. Some members had constitutional concerns, and others wondered why a government-consolidation commission would want to recommend creating a new panel.
"I think it's kind of ironic, actually," state Sen. Linda Holmes, an Aurora Democrat, said.