Office of State Representative David S. Olsen
August 14, 2017
Representative David S. Olsen Joins Governor for
Signing of Government Consolidation Bill
OAK BROOK…..As more and more Illinoisans are fleeing the state due to the crushing tax burden, today State Representative David S. Olsen (R-Downers Grove) joined Governor Bruce Rauner, Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in DuPage County as he signed into law a bill that makes it easier for units of government to consolidate or dissolve.
“What we are doing today will allow us to more effectively serve the people we represent,” said Olsen. “It is a great first step, and I look forward to continuing this bipartisan effort to make government more responsive and cost-effective for the citizens we represent.”
Illinois currently has more than 7,000 individual units of government, which is about 1,000 more units than any other state in the nation. SB03 helps reduce the number of units of government in three key ways:
- Expands a successful DuPage County consolidation model statewide
- Allows for the dissolution of coterminous townships
- Provides townships with a process for consolidation
“There is not a day that goes by when I do not hear from a constituent who is desperate for property tax relief,” said Olsen, a co-sponsor of SB03. “By simplifying the process through which consolidation can occur, unnecessary or duplicative layers of government can be eliminated and the burden on taxpayers can be reduced.”
Many of the provisions included in SB03 were recommendations included in final report of the Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force of 2015, which sought to remove obstacles to consolidation and provide clear and modernized standards for consolidation.
The provisions of SB 03 will take effect on January 1, 2018.
