Collaboration crucial to consolidation

As governments search for innovative ways to deliver public services, it is often understated how our local governments collaborate with one another on a daily basis.

While many of these efforts aren't glamourous and don't get much public attention, they certainly mean a great deal in terms of controlling costs and creating more efficient operations.

In our efforts to reduce the size, scope and cost of local government in DuPage County, we have partnered with many different local entities to achieve our goals, including townships. The nine township highway commissioners in DuPage have worked collaboratively with county government for years on a variety of shared initiatives, which include mowing, sign fabrication, traffic study engineering, road striping and public works mutual aid to name a few.

In addition to sharing services, the highway commissioners worked with the county to form a cooperative road salt purchasing contract which has reduced costs for participating entities. In recent years, the county's road salt purchasing model has been expanded from the original nine townships to now include 28 municipalities across DuPage County. Efforts such as these provide value for residents and help build momentum for future partnerships.

Last fall, voters in six of the nine townships expressed very strong support for consolidation of mosquito abatement services. The result of these non-binding referenda offer yet another opportunity for local governments to collaborate with one another and determine how best to streamline these important services.

Taxpayers expect their local officials to work together for their benefit, and while collaborations between local governments often go unnoticed, they are nonetheless instrumental to our mission.

Daniel J. Cronin

Chairman,DuPage County Board

Elmhurst