Lt. Governor Sanguinetti to chair task force / Warren L. Dixon III named to serve
Governor Bruce Rauner announced today the members of the newly created Local Government and Unfunded Mandates Task Force. The task force is comprised of municipal and county leaders, representatives of school districts, state legislators, and experts in consolidation. They represent all areas of Illinois. The task force is chaired by Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti.
The aim of the task force is to identify ways to help local governments consolidate and eliminate duplicate governmental bodies, school districts and taxing authorities. Streamlining these services will help prevent waste and use taxpayer dollars more efficiently. It will also find ways to reduce the number of unfunded mandates the state imposes on local communities.
“Illinois has an excessive number of local government units and the state severely limits local governments’ ability to control their own costs,” Gov. Rauner said in a written statement. “Consolidating local government and reducing the burden of unfunded mandates imposed by the state will reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve delivery of services.”
“Streamlining local governments will help them better provide core services to the hard-working families in Illinois,” Lt. Gov. Sanguinetti said. “I am honored to work for the taxpayers by helping their local governments become more efficient so they can better serve the people they represent.”
Tax Assessor Dixon will serve
Warren L. Dixon III, Naperville Township Assessor, former DuPage County Board of Review, has been named to the task force.
“I am very excited and honor to get this appointment, said Dixon when contacted after the news was released from the Governor’s office on Friday.
“We should be encouraging cooperation between local units of government and school districts to streamline, share services, and consolidate functions,” Dixon noted.
“Local governmental units deliver critical services to local residents and businesses. We need to help lessen the burden of unfunded mandates imposed by the state on local governments while also encouraging streamlining of local government functions in order to save taxpayers money.”
Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force
Under the leadership of Lt. Governor Sanguinetti, members of the Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force are as follows:
Rep. Tom Demmer, Former Lee County Board Member
Rep. Mark Batinick
Rep. Jack D. Franks
Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch
Sen. Dan Duffy
Sen. Dale A. Righter
Sen. Martin A. Sandoval
Sen. Linda Holmes
Karen Darch, Barrington Mayor
Karen Hasara, Member of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, Former Mayor of Springfield, Chair of Sangamon County Citizens Efficiency Commission
Brad Cole, Executive Director of the Illinois Municipal League, Former Carbondale Mayor
Ryan Spain, Peoria City Council Member
Dan Cronin, DuPage County Chairman, Former Member of the Illinois General Assembly
Michael Bigger, Former Stark County Chairman
Mark Kern, St. Clair County Chairman, Former Alderman and Mayor of Belleville
John Espinoza, Whiteside County Board Member
Rev. James T. Meeks, Illinois State Board of Education
Dr. Darlene Ruscitti, DuPage Regional Superintendent of Schools
Steffanie Seegmiller, Arthur School Board Chairman
M. Hill Hammock, Senior Fellow – Metropolitan Planning Council, Former Chief Administrative Officer for Chicago Public Schools
Char Foss-Eggemann, Park Ridge Library Board of Trustees
Warren L. Dixon III, Naperville Township Assessor, Former DuPage County Board of Review
George Obernagel, Chairman – Kaskaskia Regional Port District
Serving in an Advisory Capacity: Clayton Frick, Deloitte Services LP
Editor’s Note: For many years, this publisher of Positively Naperville has been concerned about the multi-layered government that exists in Illinois. Back in January 2010, we expressed our opinion about the need to economize for the sake of every citizen in the state via a column in the Daily Herald. Thanks for being an educated citizen in Illinois.
