Efficient government must be our focus
It's roundly accepted that Illinois needs to reduce its 7,000-plus units of local government to save taxpayers money and improve the delivery of services and infrastructure.
It's also notable that 72 percent of Americans, according to a Gallup poll, say they trust their local leaders - significantly more than they trust their state and federal representatives.
The question facing almost every municipality, county and special service district in Illinois is: How can we continue to provide high-quality government services and infrastructure in this extremely challenging era?
As the Daily Herald recently pointed out, DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin is providing an excellent example. While the reforms he has implemented to streamline and improve county governance through technology, consolidation and coordination haven't been easy - he not only had to change processes, but also organizational culture - the county and its taxpayers have directly benefited through savings and improved services.
Chairman Cronin's efforts stand out from the crowd - but he is not entirely alone. On Nov. 2, Transform Illinois, a coalition of public officials, civic leaders and research institutions committed to local government efficiency - including Chairman Cronin, Metropolitan Planning Council and Better Government Association - will host a forum for local government leaders and staff.
The forum will offer straight talk about the speed bumps local leaders might encounter on the road to change, and success stories to inspire more of what we all want to see: neighboring municipalities working together to provide shared services; local governments benchmarking their own performance using real data; and, yes, opportunities to consolidate services and governments while meeting the needs of local residents and businesses.
At a time when all of us expect so much of our local governments and when those governments are confronting new fiscal realities, there's no better time to come together around solutions that make our tax dollars work better for all of us.
MarySue Barrett, President, Metropolitan Planning Council
Andy Shaw, President and CEO, Better Government Association