Link's plan to merge governments fails

SPRINGFIELD — A plan from Sen. Terry Link that could have forced the consolidation of local governments across the suburbs was rejected by the Illinois Senate Tuesday.

The Waukegan Democrat wanted to create a commission tasked with eliminating some of the state's nearly 7,000 local tax-collecting governments in an effort to save money.

Once the commission presented a consolidation plan, lawmakers would have had to vote “yes” or “no” to the whole thing, with no ability to change it.

But the Senate rejected the plan by a 14-30 vote.

On the Senate floor, Link argued that lawmakers who talk consistently about cutting spending or running government like a business should support his idea.

“Business is downsizing and consolidating,” Link said.

Some suburban Republicans in particular opposed the plan, saying those decisions are best made locally, not by a state commission. And, they argued, passing the tasks of townships, for example, onto counties could cause trouble for officials already feeling budget-strapped.

“Trust me, you can't drop those on the counties,” said Sen. Suzi Schmidt, a Lake Villa Republican and former Lake County Board chair.

And Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican, said some suburban areas in Cook County might not get the attention they deserve if the county has to pick up more services.

“In my area, in suburban Cook, it's a concern,” he said.

Still, some lawmakers said that at a time when the state and local governments are scraping for money, it's worth taking a shot at some mergers.

“This might be an extraordinary measure,” said Sen. Mike Noland, an Elgin Democrat. “But these are extraordinary times.”