Kane County Reporter

Rep. Jeff Keicher's bill to make government more efficient (HB 162) passed the House Floor by 115-0 on Thursday.

The bill would create the Decennial Committees on Local Government Consolidation and Efficiency Act if signed into law.

“House Bill 162 does something that a lot of us have fought for in this chamber over a number of years. We consistently have discussions about the number of units of Illinois local government that we have that are appearing on our local tax bills,” Keicher said. “What 162 seeks to do is engage the locality of each of these tax levying units and involve them in a process whereby once every 10 years they validate the existence of their taxing unit, prepare and present a financial analysis report of their operations, and engage the public in confirming that they are operating in the way that the public had intended all along.”

A committee would be formed to study the local efficiencies. The committee would be dissolved after the completion of its report and oral presentation of the report.

The amendment “Provides that the 2 residents appointed to the commission shall be appointed by the board of the governmental unit (rather than appointed by the county board chairperson or the president of the board of county commissioners in the county in which the governmental unit lies).”

The bill is co-sponsored by Democratic Reps. Sam Yingling (Round Lake Beach), Jonathan Carroll (Northbrook), Rita Mayfield (Waukegan), and Republican Reps. Mike Murphy (Riddle Hill), Andrew S. Chesney (Freeport), Ryan Spain (Peoria), Mark Batinick (Plainfield), and Chris Bos (Lake Zurich).