Naperville may ask voters about township consolidation in November

Naperville leaders want residents to send a message to state legislators about consolidation of township governments by answering a ballot question they're proposing for the Nov. 8 election.

How residents vote could become a mandate about whether townships should be eliminated, Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico said Tuesday.

But first the city would have to get a question on the ballot, which it could do by approving a resolution before Aug. 22.

The council took a step Tuesday toward creating not one referendum question, but two, developed out of the debate over whether the city should begin providing road services for the Naperville Township road district.

The question about township elimination that could have statewide implications would ask this:

“In order to improve governmental efficiency and reduce the real estate tax burden placed on all Naperville residents, when efficiencies and savings are demonstrated, should township governmental units be abolished within the city of Naperville provided that those services are assumed by either the city of Naperville or other governmental bodies?”

The question would be advisory, as the city does not have jurisdiction to eliminate other government units. But the state could grant that authority if lawmakers so choose, said council member Kevin Coyne, who proposed the wordings of the two potential questions.

That's why the council unanimously voted Tuesday that seeking voter input this fall is worth considering.

“It is important that a message be sent,” Chirico said, “especially if it's a sweeping mandate, which I anticipate it would be, that the state and the legislators can look at this (township consolidation) and see this is an important issue that we need to take up.”

The second proposed referendum question would relate to the proposed road services deal between the city and the Naperville Township road district.

The council gave preliminary approval to another round of changes to the agreement that increases its estimated savings back to the original level of $800,000 a year from recent road district spending of $1.8 million.

The increase of $100,000 in savings comes from reducing street sweeping, brush pickup and leaf collection to levels given to incorporated residents: Two yearly street sweeps instead of six, one brush pickup instead of six, and three leaf collections instead of six, City Manager Doug Krieger said.

The agreement could start Jan. 1. Naperville Township Highway Commissioner Stan Wojtasiak so far has rejected the deal, saying its projected savings are overestimated and the city is attempting a “hostile takeover” of his department by pushing for the deal.

Coyne said it's “increasingly unlikely” the road services deal in its current form will be approved. But since the topic could come up again, he said it's important to gauge community support through an advisory ballot question.

The question could ask: “In order to reduce the real estate tax burden placed on all Naperville Township residents, should the city of Naperville and Naperville Township road district enter into the intergovernmental agreement as proposed by the Naperville City Council on June 7, 2016 for shared roadway services?”

The council plans to review both possible referendum questions at its next meeting June 21.