Posted by State Rep. Steve Reick:
Rep. Steve Reick Files Legislation to Require Cost Study to Ensure Township Road District Consolidations Save Money
State Representative Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) is hoping to infuse some common sense into the discussion of township road district consolidation by requiring a cost analysis to determine if consolidation proposals will actually save taxpayers money.
HB 4190, filed in Springfield this week, serves as a trailer bill to clarify two pieces of legislation approved earlier this year.
The bill would require a cost study be conducted before a township’s trustees could take action to put a consolidation proposal before voters.
“People seek consolidation because they want lower taxes. I fully support consolidation that results in lower taxes,” said Reick.
“But consolidation just for the sake of consolidation- when taxes don’t go down or possibly would actually increase- that is not in the best interest of taxpayers.
“We need this additional layer of transparency so trustees and voters are acting on a full set of facts.”
Specifically, Reick’s HB 4190 would amend the Illinois Highway Code by providing that before a township may submit a referendum to abolish a road district, the township must prepare through an independent contractor a cost study that demonstrates the abolishment is cost-effective and that the township which would assume the road district responsibilities is capable of carrying out the duties performed by the road district slated for elimination.
Any consulting firm with an existing agreement for services in the township in question or in the county where the township is located would be prohibited from conducting the study.
“SB 03 and HB 607 were both signed into law in August of this year, but neither includes this additional step of transparency” Reick said.
“Consolidation does not necessarily equate to lower taxes because services must still be provided. Before asking taxpayers to make a decision at the ballot box, trustees need to ensure that a successful vote won’t have unforeseen negative consequences on people’s property tax bills.”
HB 4190 is awaiting assignment to a substantive committee, and Reick is hopeful it will receive fair consideration when lawmakers return to Springfield at the end of January.
But I thought that the county board already did that? Wink 😉 wink
Senate Bill 3 (SB 3) was signed into law as Public Act 100-0107 (PA 100-107) on August 14, 2017.
House Bill 607 (HB 607) was signed into law as Public Act 100-0106 (PA 100-106) on August 14, 2017.
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The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning website has an article from this year about local government consolidation.
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CMAP
Considerations and Practices of Local Government Consolidation
http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/updates/all/-/asset_publisher/UIMfSLnFfMB6/content/considerations-and-practices-of-local-government-consolidation
Just as the Township Officials of Illinois ordered Reick!
Proof, is that so much to ask?
I’d suggest a committee of 12 look into the numbers and related facts.
Outside comsults maybe a unneeded expense.
The study is a completely unnecessary expense designed to make it more difficult to get rid of road districts.
The township would inherit the equipment and facilities from the road district, and they could keep the employees and hire a public works pro to run the operation.
They would have real oversight over the budget, so it would be pretty hard for them not to save money over having an unaccountable road commissioner being able to spend whatever he wants to.
what if I said that saving taxes is not the only reason to abolish a road district?
i
The point is to prevent abuse by the highway commisioners who have no one to answer to as it stands.
Name one other elected position or taxing body in this entire state that has as little oversite as a highway commissioner.
Bueller?
@Iknowthings.. How about the State Congress!
US Congress (House of Representatives and Senate).
State Legislature (House of Representatives and Senate) aka Illinois General Assembly.
How about the sheriff’s office.
Some controls exist there as the Road Districts.
And trustees do have a great deal of control over the Road District provided they do their job.
They approve the road district levy, road district budget and are supposed to be auditing every road district bill monthly.
And the road commissioner does have a boss, the voters.
Every four years if they don’t like what the commissioner does they can elect another one.
Secondly, review what a public works director makes compared to a road commissioner, there is no savings if a qualified director is hired.
Besides, unlike the larger townships, the road commissioner’s job is usually a part time job in most townships.
Lastly, how many times have we been told by politicians with personal agendas that we were going to save taxes and in the end it costs more.
Seems like Rep. Reick is dead-on in his Trailer Bill!
Thanks Jim your 100% right
The bill, if it passes, would be effective January 1, 2019.
That leaves a nice window for townships to Git-R-Done next year without going through the extra bs.
Public works directors oversee street divisions sewer plants and the water divisions on top of other duties and don’t have sole power who they hire also didn’t Condon just have another lawsuit filed against his road district what’s that now 3 what’s that costing taxpayers
Congressmen dont have their own tax levy and millions dollar budgets.
the township boards can “audit” bills but cant even deny them or they run the risk of being sued by the contractor.
Highway Comissioners are one-man governments, and board cant even make changes to their budgets or levys.
They just approve or not.
And usually its always at the last minute for required filing so the board has no choice but to approve.
All I’m saying is that is NOT just taxes that make people want road maintenance under township control instead of road districts.
It’s also corruption and oversite.
Which road districts in McHenry County have a part time road commissioner?
Or should I say, which road districts pay their road commissioner part time salary?
Current McHenry County Highway Commissioners of McHenry County Road Districts.
Alden – Bart Schnulle
Algonquin – Andrew Gasser
Burton – Daniel Sutton
Chemung – Donald L. Staver
Coral – Donald R. Argal
Dorr – John Fuller
Dunham – David Nolan
Grafton – Thomas J Poznanski
Greenwood – Donald Goad
Hartland – Michael Murray, Sr.
Hebron – Zeke Nickels
Marengo – Jake Adamson
McHenry – James Condon
Nunda – Mike Lesperance
Richmond – Dave Bockelmann
Riley – Dave Diamond
Seneca – Scott Swanson
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Most of the Road Districts do not post the pay and benefits of the employees on their website.
Maybe they are exempt from the state law which requires local governments to post pay and benefit information on the their website.
Regardless, maybe Steve Reick or another legislator can propose legislation to improve such transparency.
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Open the Books publishes pensionable income of employees in government.
They obtain the information from the public sector pension fund to which the employee contributes, which in the case of Township Road District Commissioners, would be IMRF.
However, not all townships participate in IMRF.
And there is a lag time for Open the Books to post the information.
What follows are the current McHenry County Road Districts Commissioners that are posted on Open the Books.
Open the Books (OTB) does not publish start date or years of service.
The Better Government Association (BGA) posts the start date for many employees.
The Better Government Association does not seem to obtain pensionable income pay, for many or all employees, and it seems they obtain the pay data from employers (employers tend not to report all pensionable income).
The pension funds report all pensionable income.
Open the Books obtains their data from the pension funds.
Typically pensionable income is higher than non pensionable income.
Also BGA and OTB years don’t always seem to match; once again; because they typically or always seem to obtain data from different sources (OTB from the pension fund; BGA from the employer).
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Alden Township
No records for any Alden Township employees in the BGA salary database.
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Algonquin Township previously simultaneously employed the Highway Commissioner, his wife, and two of his son-in-laws.
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Robert J Miller, previous Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner
2016 – $96,294
2015 – $94,311
2014 – $93,318
source: OTB widget
Next is the pay of Bob Miller’s wife, Anna May Miller, at Algonquin Township.
2016 – $83,601
2015 – $82,106
2014 – $82,403
Next is the pay of a Bob Miller son-in-law, Derek Lee, married to Rebecca Miller Lee, daughter of Bob Miller.
2016 – $86,230
2015 – $82,148
2014 – $81,910
Next is the pay of another Bob Miller son-in-law, Andrew Rosencrans, married to Mallory Miller Rosencrans, daughter of Bob Miller.
2016 – $71,909
2015 – $69,932
2014 – $69,768
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Note: BGA salary database does contain Algonquin Twp employees.
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Dan E Sutton, Burton Township Highway Commissioner
2016 – $24,000
Start date with the Township was April 12, 2005 per the BGA salary database.
Dan E Sutton Election History:
April 3, 2001 – lost to Eugene Kattner
April 5, 2005 – unopposed
April 7, 2009 – defeated Jeff Thirtyacre
April 9, 2013 – unopposed
April 4, 2017 – unopposed.
Note: There is also a Burton Township in Adams County.
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Donald Staver, Chemung Township Highway Commissioner
2016 – $58,915
2015 – $56,859
2014 – $55,203
2013 – $53,595
2012 – $51,628
2011 – $49,169
2010 – $46,827
2009 – $43,833
2008 – $40,167
2007 – $36,667
2006 – $34,500
2005 – $31,833
2004 – $28,500
2003 – $28,500
2002 – $28,500
2001 – $27,700
2000 – $27,014
Donald Staver general (not primary) election history:
April 3, 2001 – defeated G. Kruckenberg and Joseph Hermonson
April 5, 2005 – unopposed
April 7, 2009 – unopposed
April 9, 2013 – defeated Paul Hereley
April 4, 2017 – unopposed.
sources:
Pay from OTB widget and previous OTB records.
September 1, 1995 start date per BGA salary database.
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Donald Argall, Coral Township
2016 – $22,000
Donald Argall general (not primary) election history:
April 3, 2001 – unopposed
April 5, 2005 – unopposed
April 7, 2009 – unopposed
April 9, 2013 – unopposed
April 4, 2017 – unopposed.
Mary Argall is the Township Clerk.
pay source: BGA salary database
OTB does not have records for Coral Twp.
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John Fuller, Dorr Township Highway Commissioner
Mr. Fuller previously was employed by the Nunda Township Road District and a Door Township Trustee.
Then he was a candidate for Dorr Township Highway Commissioner.
Mr. Fuller defeated Tom Thurman (incumbent) by 42 votes (1.88%) in the April 4, 2017 election for Dorr Township Highway Commissioner.
Following is the pay of John Fuller as a Road District employee.
Per the BGA salary database, Mr. Fuller earned $27 per hour as a Dorr Township Crew Member in 2016, with a start date of November 10, 1987.
Following is a recent history of Mr. Fuller’s income at Nunda Township, prior to becoming Highway Commissioner in Dorr Township.
2016 – $60,505
2015 – $59,106
2014 – $62,005
source of 2014, 2015, & 2016 figures: Open the Books widget for Nunda Township.
Per the BGA salary database, Mr. Fuller’s start date as a Dorr Township Trustee was May 20, 2013.
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Tom Thurman, previous Dorr Township Highway Commissioner
2016 – $75,151
2015 – $77,787
2014 – $70,595
2013 – $67,880
2012 – $69,804
2011 – $67,771
2010 – $65,797
2009 – $63,880
2008 – $62,090
2007 – $60,282
2006 – $58,526
2005 – $55,531
2004 – $52,000
2003 – $53,500
2002 – $52,000
2001 – $48,250
2000 – $42,000
Mr. Thurman’s general (not primary) election history:
April 3, 2001 – unopposed
April 5, 2005 – unopposed
April 7, 2009 – unopposed
April 9, 2013 – unopposed
April 4, 2017 – was defeated by John Fuller.
http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/county-government/departments-a-i/county-clerk/election-canvass-reports
Wage figures are from OTB.
The start date of July 28, 1992 is from the BGA salary database.
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David Nolan, Dunham Township Highway Commissioner
2016 – $55,000
source: BGA salary database
OTB does not have records for Dunham Township.
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Tom Poznanski, Grafton Township Highway Commissioner
2016 – $61,086
2015 – $59,888
2014 – $59,829
source: OTB widget
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Maybe the rest to follow some other time.
Thanks Mark!
Transparency, honesty, integrity, decency … these are antonyms for Illinois Township Government.
crooked bastards: https://www.toi.org/Downloads/830/Dec%202015%20-%20Legislative%20Update.pdf
Pretty funny.
Comrade Miller was about to be axed: https://www.toi.org/Downloads/3182/April%202017%20-%20Executive%20Director.pdf
Illinois voters have made many mistakes by voting without ALL the facts.
This will be the next one.
Without reasonable proof of savings and efficiency why do it?
“They’re all crooked” is false.
People steal from the PTO and from villages and cities and the federal government.
One bad apple should not spoil the bushel