Rep. Sandy Pihos Joins Governor Quinn for Signing of Bill to Make Government More Efficient

Governor Pat Quinn on Friday signed a bill into law that paves the way for more efficient local government.

According to State Representative Sandra Pihos (R-Glen Ellyn), a chief co-sponsor of Senate Bill 494, the new law will allow DuPage County to pilot a program through which duplicative or inefficient layers of local government may be eliminated.

“Today DuPage County has more than 400 separate taxing bodies,” said Pihos. “Through this new law a process will be put in place where the DuPage County Board can audit its agencies, consolidate where appropriate, and pass along the savings to the taxpayers.”

DuPage County is the second largest county in Illinois, and Pihos said she was pleased to know that her county was the test site for this important legislation. “I credit with great enthusiasm DuPage County for leading an initiative that seeks to thoughtfully eliminate duplicative governmental units and consolidate operations and services to maximize efficiency,” Pihos said. “Today’s multiple layers of inefficient government places an unnecessary burden on the taxpayers, and I feel that as long as we can continue to provide services but to it in the absolute most cost-effective way, we are developing a model that could be implemented state-wide.”

Through the law, the county must perform an audit of any agency or taxing body being considered for elimination and then make public their intent to abolish the unit. The law also provides citizens who oppose a possible dissolution of a unit of government to gather signatures on a petition and place a referendum before voters to block the elimination of the unit of government.

The law takes effect immediately.