Franks Pushing Bill to Consolidate Local Government Units in Illinois

John Gregory -- Illinois Radio Network

A state lawmaker is giving a bill to consolidate local government units in the state another try.

State Rep. Jack D. Franks (D-Marengo) is reintroducing legislation that would place a four-year moratorium on the General Assembly creating any new unit of local government. The bill passed in the House in 2014, but died in the Senate, and Franks says it wasn’t because of Democrats.

“It wasn’t the problems with the Democrats, it was the problems with the Republicans,” Franks said, “because many of the Republicans who represent the rural, Downstate areas, this is their only real chance for patronage, and they didn’t want to reduce the size of government.”

Franks says those Republicans will now hop on board because of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s support of consolidation efforts. Illinois has nearly 7,000 units of local government, more than any other state.