Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Republican Party has sounded the alarm, highlighting the detrimental effects of a bloated bureaucracy on Illinois' economy and its residents.

The party argues the weight of excessive regulations and soaring taxes hampers progress and stifles innovation, the urgent need for reform looms over the state, pushing policymakers and citizens alike to seek solutions for a brighter future.

“Illinois is suffocating under the weight of our bloated government,” the Illinois Republican Party said on Facebook.

Republican representative Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) emphasized the negative impact of this bloated government structure on taxpayers, leading to high taxes as a means to fund the extensive bureaucracy and red tape.

“It’s symbolic of one of the biggest problems we have here in Illinois and that’s too much government,” Caulkins told The Center Square of A New Illinois Policy Institute study that concludes the state is home to more units of government than any other state in the country. “There’s too much government, too much bureaucracy and too much red tape, which in turn makes for high taxes as a way to pay for all the overhead.”

According to the institute's report, Illinois is burdened with an excessive number of local government units, surpassing any other state in the country. It notes Illinois’s high property tax rates and a reputation for corruption. One significant contributing factor to these issues is the state's excessive number of local government units, with nearly 7,000 in total. Compared to other states, Illinois has an unusually high number of local government layers, with 61% of residents living under three layers of general-purpose local government. This excludes various special districts that operate in certain areas, resulting in up to 16 different government agencies in some regions. The abundance of government layers makes it challenging for citizens to participate in the democratic process and organize efforts to reduce the number of local governments. 

To address this issue, Illinois Policy suggests the state of Illinois should establish more accessible pathways for citizens to consolidate local government. This could be achieved through citizen-initiated or legislative-initiated referendums, as well as by eliminating unelected "dependent" governments. The aim is to streamline and simplify the local government structure, eliminating redundancies and increasing efficiency to save taxpayers money. Moreover, consolidation efforts can enhance public participation in decision-making processes and help combat corruption by making government operations more transparent and accountable. Simplifying local government would ultimately empower citizens to actively engage in democratic processes and contribute to the fight against wasteful spending.

Austin Berg, vice president of marketing for the Illinois Policy Institute, said there are just way too many units of government in Illinois.

“The problem with this massive proliferation of local governments throughout the state is that it was very easy to create these once upon a time,” Berg told WTTW. “That’s why we have thousands and thousands and thousands. But it’s almost impossible to change them. To redesign them. To get rid of them. I think what most people in Illinois agree on is that we pay really, really high property taxes – the first or second-highest in the nation depending on how you calculate it – but we’re not getting the first or second-highest quality in government services.”