THE FOLLOWING RELEASE IS FROM STATE SENATOR CHAPIN ROSE’S OFFICE
Springfield, IL–State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) held a recent press conference to voice concerns over Governor Pritzker’s proposal to eliminate road districts and townships, warning it could lead to higher property taxes and have negative consequences on vital services – like snow plowing, cemeteries, and libraries.
“This is classic example of Chicago politicians trying to ‘fix’ something and not fully understanding all the ramifications of the change,” said Senator Rose. “In this case, many of my constituents will see their property taxes go up because these services don’t just disappear, counties and municipalities will be forced to pick up the slack, at higher costs, meaning higher property taxes or major service cuts.”
The Governor’s proposal to eliminate townships, Senator Rose argues, will not necessarily lead to more efficiency, but will instead force counties and municipalities to shoulder additional burdens for snow plowing, road repairs and cemeteries. In many areas, the shift in duties will result in higher property taxes and/or significant cuts to essential services.
Senator Rose continued, “I have entire counties that don’t own a single piece of road equipment. Not a grader, not even a snowplow. Now if Pritzker gets his way, those services will fall back onto the county – except it will be more expensive to deliver. Think about it this way, your local road commissioner is already on ‘retainer’ whether it snows once or ten times in a winter. At the county level, they will have to hire that labor at prevailing wage cost – plus time and half to stay on duty during a blizzard – and then do it again, when the next storm comes through.”
“I’ve always been an advocate for streamlining government and making it more efficient. I’ve supported legislation to give voters the ability to consolidate local government units where it makes sense to local citizens,” said Senator Rose. “However, what Governor Pritzker is pushing for is not about efficiency, it’s another ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, from the top down, that ignores the unique needs of local communities and taxpayers.”
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