Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HJR0065
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Full Text of HJR0065  99th General Assembly

HJ0065 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, According to the 2012 Census of Governments,
3Illinois taxpayers support 6,963 units of government, more than
4any other state in the nation by more than 1,800 units; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The State of Florida, with nearly 6 million more
6residents than Illinois, sustains only 1,650 units of
7government; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The State of Texas, with 12 million more residents
9than Illinois, ranks second highest in the nation with 5,147
10units, but still maintains 1,816 fewer units of government than
11Illinois; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Many units of government that exist today may no
13longer be relevant due to the emergence of neighboring units,
14shifts in population, outdated boundary agreements, and
15emerging technologies; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The overabundance of local governments, and in
17particular single-purpose units of local government, can
18contribute to the inefficient use of tax dollars, create
19redundancy, foster a lack of transparency and accountability,
20discourage citizens from fully engaging in the democratic
21process, and lead to the misallocation of vital resources; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Illinois residents, who pay the second highest
2property taxes in the nation, may be disproportionately
3burdened as a result of the number of units of local government
4and the taxes required to support this bureaucracy; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Through the utilization of greater cooperation,
6collaboration, partnerships, and shared services, more
7efficient local service delivery models can be identified; and
 
8    WHEREAS, It is in the best interests of Illinois citizens
9to transform our government into a 21st century model of
10effective governance, removing unnecessary layers that create
11excessive burdens on taxpayers and lessen accountability; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Elected officials of this State have a duty to
13enhance the coordination of services between units of
14government on behalf of the citizens they represent through
15constant examination that ensures accountable, effective, and
16efficient practices; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The 97th General Assembly adopted the Local
18Government Consolidation Commission Act and established the
19Local Government Consolidation Commission to investigate the
20structure of local governments in Illinois; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Local Government Consolidation Commission
2concluded that there are a number of duplicative units of
3government in Illinois and that the State should investigate
4ways to encourage greater intergovernmental cooperation among
5units and lessen the burden of unfunded mandates; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In February of 2015, Governor Rauner signed
7Executive Order 15-15 forming the Local Government
8Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force, chaired by
9Lieutenant Governor Sanguinetti, to study issues of local
10government and school district consolidation and redundancy
11and to make recommendations that will ensure accountable and
12efficient government and education in the State of Illinois by
13the end of 2015; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
16SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we acknowledge that the current
17size, scope and cost of local government in Illinois may
18overburden taxpayers, negatively impact our economy,
19discourage civic engagement, reduce transparency, and impair
20the efficient delivery of public services; and be it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That we support efforts to examine the existing
22landscape of local and State government to determine how more
23effective and efficient models can be developed; and be it

 

 

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1further
 
2    RESOLVED, That we support efforts to improve the quality,
3cost, and accountability of government services at all levels
4through cooperation, collaboration, partnerships, shared
5services, and, if appropriate, through the consolidation or
6elimination of government agencies; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That we support efforts to eliminate the
8duplication of services and to enact measures that will
9streamline government operations across the State.