By Stephanie Tyrpak
By Randy Livingston

Illinois has nearly seven thousand units of local government. That’s more than any other state.

From school boards to library districts to county commissions, one think tank says it’s high time to cut that number dramatically. The Illinois Policy Institute says shrinking the number of government units will save taxpayer dollars.

The institute believes people from both political parties can get behind the idea, but first, residents need more power to fix the system.

Take a look at your property tax bill and you’ll find a long list. It shows how your money goes to school districts and much more. Libraries, park districts, community colleges, and even mosquito abatement districts all collect taxes. It adds up to a total of 6,963 government units across Illinois.

“The next state is Texas, which is twice our size in population, but they still have 1,800 less local governments,” said Director of Government Reform Brian Costin.

Costin is with Illinois Policy Institute. He says the layers of government make it nearly impossible for a person to attend all the different meetings just in their hometown. It also increases the chances of corruption. In the end, he believes it costs taxpayers more.

“We have the second highest average property tax rate in the country at almost 2 percent of your home value every single year,” said Costin.

The institute is pushing for laws that make it easier to get rid of local government that’s no longer necessary.

You can read the Illinois Policy Institute report here.

Williamson County Board Chairman Ron Ellis believes Illinois needs to follow the actions of other nearby states that have consolidated government.

“Why wouldn’t you be able to consolidate all those services into one central district and have one billing service,” said Ellis.

However, Ellis knows schools and townships can often be very important to a community.

“They provide a service for the people that they serve,” said Ellis. “That’s a true statement, but why do you need so many.”

Ellis feels that counties and cities would be able to provide those necessary services. Taxpayers would then see the benefits.

“It would eliminate people, yes you would,” said Ellis. “But by eliminating people, eliminating duplication of services, you’ve just put money back into the overall operation of that project.”

If you want to take a look at the number of government units in your county, you can search them on the Illinois Comptroller website here.