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Tom Cullerton urges counties to embrace government consolidation

VILLA PARK- State Senator Tom Cullerton's work to spread his bipartisan government consolidation model may soon be delayed due to the irresponsible lack of reporting from 101 of Illinois' county entities.

This summer, Villa Park Democrat Cullerton's bipartisan legislation that requires all Illinois county boards to submit a report to the General Assembly recommending units of government that may be dissolved or consolidated was signed into law by Governor Bruce Rauner.

"I'm proud of the bipartisan work we have done right here in DuPage County. We are a leader in government consolidation and efficiency," Cullerton said. "However, it looks like other counties are not as keen to adapt to the needs of the people."

The first step taken by DuPage County was examining and developing a list of the county's appointed agencies to identify areas of reform. DuPage County submitted its report in accordance with P.A. 99-0634; however, Cullerton is waiting on reports from the other 101 counties, which include Cook, Lake, St. Clair and Madison counties.

Through the DuPage model, the county is projected to save taxpayers more than $100 million over the next 20 years.

Cullerton sent letters to 101 counties reminding them to submit their report and reiterating the importance of this step.

"Government consolidation is one area of reform I can agree on with Governor Rauner. We know that government needs to be efficient to be effective," said Cullerton. "It's essential that we continue to look for ways to make sure government is working for the people."

Cullerton finds it unbelievable that Illinois has more than 7,000 government entities that were developed decades ago.

State Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) carried this measure in the House.

Cullerton urges the other counties to quickly submit their reports to comply with the legislation passed this year. The final deadline for counties to submit reports is January 1, 2017.

Senate Bill 2994 passed the Senate and House with bipartisan support and was signed into law on Friday, July 22.

Governor Rauner and Sen. Cullerton agree that the General Assembly needs to explore every possible way to lower property taxes, and consolidating various government offices can help lead them to their goal.

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