Tom Cullerton passes key government consolidation initiative

SPRINGFIELD- To share the success seen in DuPage County, State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) passed Senate Bill 3, which will spread DuPage County's bipartisan government consolidation model statewide.

"It's important that we continue to explore different ways to make sure government is working for the citizens of Illinois," Cullerton said. "The best way to lower property taxes is to empower voters to get rid of all the government duplications. This is one small step we can take to reduce taxes without sacrificing the quality of government service."

Senate Bill 3 allows counties to dissolve certain units of local government through a voter referendum.

Cullerton passed Senate Bill 494 in 2013, which created the DuPage County government consolidation model used in Senate Bill 3. County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and Cullerton worked to create an innovative government consolidation model that can be adapted to work throughout the state.

Cullerton's efforts were applauded by the head of the Illinois Municipal League (IML).

"It's encouraging whenever the General Assembly considers legislation intended to consolidate government services and reduce areas where local services needlessly overlap," Brad Cole, Executive Director of IML said.

"We ran a tight ship for taxpayers when I was Villa Park Village Manager. I'm trying to do the same at the state level," Cullerton said. "My goal is to save money, reduce taxes and make sure government is working for the people. This legislation does that."

Through this model, DuPage County is projected to save taxpayers more than $100 million over the next 20 years. The savings allow for lower property tax rates and provide residents with necessary services.

Senate Bill 3 passed the Senate and now moves to the House for consideration.