Above / The citizens of Naperville will have their work cut of for them as they examine the pros and cons of consolidation and efficiency with the Naperville Township Road District.
Individuals who have been following City Council meetings this year have observed ongoing discussions about consolidation and efficiency.
Front and center have been discussions of a proposed intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Naperville Township Road District regarding savings.
According to the City’s projections introduced in February, if the City takes over road maintenance, snow plowing and landscaping services for roughly 49 “lane” miles of unincorporated Naperville Township roads for four years, taxpayers could save $800,000 a year out of a spending budget of $1.8 million. (Note: a “lane mile” is calculated by the length of a roadway (in miles) multiplied by the number of traffic lanes. In Naperville, less than 20 miles of roadways, mostly 2-way streets, are maintained by Naperville Township Road District.)
To date, Naperville Township Highway Commissioner Stan Wojtasiak has disputed the numbers in the proposals and has rejected all offers from the City.
In a 9-0 vote at the June 21, 2016, City Council meeting, two nonbinding referenda questions were advanced for final approval at a later meeting.
One of the nonbinding questions is in regard to entering into an IGA for shared roadway services with the Naperville Township Road District. The other nonbinding question references the abolition of townships within the City of Naperville when savings are shown and services are assumed by other governmental bodies.
The two nonbinding questions proposed by Councilman Kevin Coyne were approved unanimously at the June 21, 2016, meeting.
Question One
“Should the City of Naperville and the Naperville Township Road District enter into an agreement for combined roadway services as proposed by the Naperville City Council on June 7, 2016, in order to reduce the real estate burdens on all Naperville Township taxpayers?”
Question Two
“Should a township government be abolished in the City of Naperville when efficiencies and savings in delivery of township services can be demonstrated by either the City of Naperville or another governmental body performing the same services?”
The two questions as proposed are expected to be on the Nov. 8, 2016, ballot for a “yes” or “no” answer by Naperville voters.
Nonbinding Questions
“Nonbinding” is emphasized. Nonbinding means that the City seeks to check the spirit of the community regarding consolidation and efficiency.
Mayor Steve Chirico noted that the referenda questions aim to “get the temperature of residents.”
During a brief word-smithing exercise among City Council members, Councilman Coyne advised for “the direct and bold action” to be simple to understand.
The City of Naperville has no legal authority to abolish any other unit of government. Depending on the support of the nonbinding questions, the City could move forward to engage other elected officials in the county and Springfield to act.
When the preliminary questions are approved and final, an independent citizens’ campaign will be organized to educate the community about the ballot questions. No City funding will be applied to the campaign.
Earlier this year a permanent agenda item for City Council meetings was placed under “Reports and Recommendations” to receive updates regarding the status of a proposed agreement for shared services between the City of Naperville and the Naperville Township Road District.
The next City Council meeting begins at 7PM Tues., July 19. (Note in July, the meeting usually scheduled on the first Tuesday has been canceled due to the Independence Day holiday.)
Here’s the link to watch the City Council Meeting, Tues., June 21.
Editor’s Note: During the June 14, 2016, meeting of Naperville Township, Trustee Paul Santucci queried other trustees about asking Naperville Township voters to weigh on a Naperville Township specific referendum question to be determined. The idea was acknowledged by Naperville Township Supervisor Rachel Ossyra. No vote was taken.
Naperville Township, one of nine townships in DuPage County, comprises approximately 36 square miles. All townships in Illinois are about the same size.
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