Among new laws in Illinois is one that limits the formation of new government units:
HB 0228: Prohibits creating new levels of government for four years.
The Chicago Tribune interprets this law:
No new units of government can be formed in Illinois for four years.
According to Illinois Policy, Illinois has the most local governments with 6,963, giving Illinois nearly a 2,000 unit lead over Texas. A four year ban presumably slows the growth of these government bodies but I still have questions about the efficacy of this law:
- Does this translate into savings for taxpayers? Perhaps it simply slows future costs.
- Does this mean that lawmakers were unable to consolidate local governments and this was the best they could do? On one hand, people decry the spread of local governments and taxing bodies but they tend to like local control when it suits their interests.
- Are any others states ever going to approach the number of local government units that Illinois has?
Legally Sociable 
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