DeKalb Times

In a recent news release, Illinois state Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) lauded passage of House Bill (HB) 4228.

“Too often Illinois taxpayers have been beaten up by the number of local units of government that are able to levy residential property taxes," the legislator said in the Jan. 6 statement issued on his office's website. "What my original bill and this new bill does is to make sure that we right-size local government units at the property tax level so that every 10 years we put it in the hands of the taxpayers to decide whether or not they want to be taxed for that function of government."

He called the bill “the best piece of good government legislation we will see come out of Springfield this year."

In some areas, "lighting districts or other special assessments are helping minimize property taxation to a smaller area where it’s needed," Keicher said. "Who are we to decide what all Illinois local government should look like – leave it to the taxpayer.”

House Bill 4228 was filed on Nov. 23, 2021, and passed both legislative bodies on Jan. 5, 2023. It forces local taxing bodies to review and report on their efficiency every ten years. Those taxing bodies must look at whether consolidating operations would bring greater accountability and financial savings to the taxpayers.

The text of the bill notes that the governmental units must form the aforementioned committee by June 10, 2023, and at least once every 10 years thereafter. The committee would include the elected or appointed members of the governing board of the governmental unit, and any chief executive officer or another officer of the governmental unit. Each committee must meet a minimum of three times.

Keicher's original bill, from which HB4228 was built, was House Bill 4691. He filed that bill in February of 2020, and it was renumbered through 2022 as it moved through the House and Senate.