Manley Promotes Good Government, Leads Charge on Township Consolidation

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, recently introduced House Bill 3301, which would eliminate the office of township clerk in each Township of Will County that resides within the 98th Illinois House Legislative District, eliminating duplicative services, saving taxpayer dollars.

“At a recent meeting with over 50 seniors in attendance, I asked a question – ‘How many of you in your entire lifetime have ever used the services offered by a township clerk?’ – No one raised their hand,” said Manley.  “As elected officials, we need to provide services to the taxpayers, but also over time, need to reexamine what we are spending taxpayer dollars on.  If the same service can be provided in a central location, and at a cost savings, we need to do that.”

Illinois has nearly 7,000 units of local government, nearly 1,800 more units of government that the next competitive state. Currently, Illinois taxpayers are responsible for multiple layers of government that duplicate services and force local governments to borrow and spend more, ultimately costing taxpayers more money. By centralizing services and focusing on efficiencies, consolidations of local government have real potential to save taxpayers money. Manley’s House Bill 3301, which would only impact six Townships in Will County within the 98th District, would serve as a pilot program and a model to potentially be implemented throughout the rest of the state.

“Both state and local government need to work together to find ways to identify inefficiencies and remove duplicative services,” continued Manley.  “This lowers costs and decreases the property tax burden on local homeowners.”