State requiring some units of local government to study their own efficiency

Jun. 4—CHAMPAIGN — A new state law is requiring many units of local government that collect taxes to study and report on their own efficiency.

But at least some are calling it yet another unfunded state mandate that will add work and cost.

"We don't have a clear understanding about what the purpose or the intent or the outcomes intended, but it's mandatory and we must comply," said Tim Bartlett, executive director of the Urbana Park District.

The Decennial Committees on Local Government Efficiency Act — which specifically doesn't apply to counties and municipalities — was signed into law last June.

It's been appearing on the meeting agendas of some local governmental boards lately in part because it requires them to establish committees by the end of this week, then compile written reports with recommendations, submit those reports to their county boards, then repeat the process at least every 10 years.

The committees are being tasked with meeting at least three times and studying the governmental unit's statutes, ordinances, rules, procedures, powers, jurisdiction, shared services, intergovernmental agreements and relationships with other governmental units, according to a fact sheet on the law (50 IL CS 70) that was issued by the Illinois Municipal League.

The written reports will need to be filed with their respective county board's administrative offices no later than 18 months after the committees are formed.

What the county boards do with the reports may well be just store them and make them available to members of the public who request a look.

"The legislation doesn't really say, specifically, what we're supposed to do with it," said Champaign County Executive Steve Summers. "It does say it's supposed to be available to the public."

Under the law as written, local governments are, basically, being asked to evaluate themselves.

Each committee must include the members of the government's own governing board, plus two residents living in the territory served by the government (to be appointed by the chair of the board with the board's approval) plus any chief executive officer or other officers of the governmental unit.

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District's recently approved committee, for example, includes the members of the MTD Board, MTD Managing Director Karl Gnadt and two district residents, Donna Tanner-Harold and George Friedman.

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said he voted against this measure and recalled asking at the time what the point was.

According to Rose, it will just burden small local taxing districts — for example, cemetery districts, one of which he said he knows doesn't take in enough money to cover its mowing expenses.

"The issue here is, at the end of the day, you're asking these people to police themselves," he said. "There's zero teeth to this, so at best, you're just going to waste more taxpayer money."

Rose would have preferred to see some limits on the size of the governments that will have to comply, he said.

"The amount of crap that's being piled onto these rural townships and schools and everybody else," he said. "And money doesn't grow on trees."

How much staff time and expense the work may involve for the MTD was still undetermined, said Amy Snyder, its chief of staff.

"We are asking our attorneys to put together a request for proposals for a consultant that can help this committee do the work," she said Friday.

But, depending on the proposals the MTD receives, she said, it may be that it won't hire a consultant.

"If it's not consultants doing the work, it will be staff doing the work," she said.

Champaign Township Supervisor Norman Davis said the township's new committee has already conducted one of its meetings, and he aims to see the township's report done and filed by December.

"As far as we can tell, it's just another thing that the state government is doing to calm down some voices that are screaming for government consolidation," he said. "And they don't seem to understand that bigger government is more expensive government."

Davis said the requirements will mean work and expense, but he's going to get the job done.

"It's an unnecessary expense. It's unnecessary work, but if it's required of us, we're going to do it," he said. "We want to comply with not only the letter of the law but the spirit of the law."

The original measure was advanced by state Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest.

"With approximately 7,000 units of local taxpayer-funded governments, it is time for these government bodies to be evaluated for efficiency, accountability and consolidation," Morrison was quoted as saying in a release last year from Illinois Senate Democrats. "Our communities have evolved over the decades and taxpayers deserve accountability. If you cannot justify your existence to those who fund you, you should turn off the lights, turn in your keys and save the taxpayers their money."

School districts aren't included in the requirement to form a committee, but they're required to submit a shared-services and fiscal-efficiency report annually during an open meeting that allows for public comment.

Champaign Park District Executive Director Sarah Sandquist said her agency has established its required committee and will be working with the Illinois Association of Park Districts, which will be providing resources and suggestions.

"Although still an unfunded mandate, the law gives park districts the ability to appoint the committee membership and provides an opportunity for the park district to demonstrate the countless ways in which it efficiently and effectively delivers park, recreation and cultural arts programs, facilities and services to its residents," Sandquist said in a memo to the park board last month.