DuKane Valley Council dissolves with little fuss

A 38-year-old regional intergovernmental organization has quietly disbanded, announcing the dissolution in a letter to its 50 members in Kane, DuPage, DeKalb and Kendall counties.

In recent months members of the DuKane Valley Council, based at Northern Illinois University, began questioning the organization's relevance and mission. Existing and prospective members surveyed in August called the council's mission "too general," adding that regional concerns about quality of life and sustainability issues already are being addressed by the Metro West Council of Government and other organizations.

The council's board voted at its final meeting Sept. 25 to dissolve the council and distribute its $8,000 in assets to Metro West.

"After careful analysis of membership trends, much deliberation and discussion, we believed that this action was in the best interest of the organization's membership," the council's board of directors wrote in the Oct. 1 letter.

The Kane County government, with its well-attended regional "priority places" workshops held annually for the past three years, might also have helped quicken the council's demise, said DuKane Valley Council board member Brian Townsend.

"We had a hard time connecting with people and getting them to respond in an excited and positive way," said Townsend, St. Charles' city administrator. "I think that, more than anything, convinced me that there just wasn't the energy there to try and make things work."

The organization was founded in 1969 to "promote the general welfare of areas within DuPage and Kane counties." It eventually expanded to DeKalb and Kendall counties, growing to include 24 municipalities, seven townships, five park districts, two library districts, three public utilities, Fermilab and other public and private organizations.

The council's assets -- garnered from membership dues and special events -- were disseminated to the Metro West Council of Government on the condition that the funds be used for a "multi-jurisdictional event." Metro West is an association of municipalities in Kane, DeKalb and Kendall counties.