Greenwood Backs Bill to Consolidate Local Government

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, recently supported a measure that would give voters more control to consolidate local governments and save taxpayer dollars.

“Through local government consolidation, we can remove unneeded duplicative services and ensure that the needs of taxpayers are responsibly met,” Greenwood said. “This bill is a positive step forward in giving voters the power they need to shape local government.”

Under House Bill 171, the township boards of adjacent townships could authorize, via resolution, a voter referendum to consolidate adjacent townships into a single township; or dissolve a township and absorb it into two adjacent townships with which it shares a border. Additionally, House Bill 171 allows a township board to abolish, via resolution, its road district if the roads in that district total less than 15 miles in length and a voter referendum approves of the road district’s dissolution.

Government consolidation is considered a priority by the governor, and was part of a series of non-budgetary items that Greenwood supported to help bring an end to the budget crisis.

“I agree with the governor that there are opportunities to streamline government and make it more efficient,” Greenwood said. “This is another issue in which I believe we can work in a cooperative and bipartisan manner.”