Suburban Chicago News - July 30, 2010

There's going to be a change of faces at the DuPage Water Commission come January.

Gov. Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 580, designed to mop up the Water Commission and its troubles, Thursday afternoon in his Chicago office. Under the new law, a 1/4 percent county-wide sales tax that subsidizes the commission's operations would be eliminated by 2016, and board members would be forced to resign by the start of next year.

The bill's signing came as no surprise to Commissioner and Naperville City Councilman Richard Furstenau, who said the commission will fulfill the requirements of the n ew law.

"Eventually, the sales tax will go away," Furstenau said, echoing previous statements made at commission meetings. "Hopefully, we'll have paid off the bonds and have cash on hand for any emergencies that come our way."

Quarter-cent sales tax levy abolished in 2016

July 29, 2010 (Lombard, IL) –A bill sponsored by Illinois State Senator Dan Cronin (R-21) to reform the DuPage Water Commission will be signed by Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn today in his Chicago office. Key provisions of the law will require all current board members to resign by January 1, 2011 and eliminates a countywide sales tax levy that helps fund the commission in June 2016.

“This law will bring new leadership and much-needed reform to the DuPage Water Commission,” Cronin said. “Furthermore, at a time when people are overtaxed and overburdened by government, this legislation actually eliminates a tax on businesses and families. DuPage residents want accountable government and lower taxes; I believe this law begins to fulfill those expectations. I appreciate Governor Quinn’s support to overhaul the DuPage Water Commission.”

Cronin introduced SB 580 last spring in response to revelations of financial and operational mismanagement at the commission. Accounting errors led to the depletion of cash reserves and prompted an external audit of the agency, which detailed numerous problems including negligence and misconduct by top management and oversight failure by appointed water commissioners. The general manager and treasurer resigned last March following the report’s findings. The commission has raised water rates by 20% and borrowed $70 million in recent months in an attempt to restore its financial stability.

In addition to abolishing the sales tax levy and installing a new board, the law mandates that top staff positions receive approval by the DuPage County Board and an independent audit of the agency is conducted each year. The audit report must then be forwarded to the DuPage County Auditor.

“Sadly, Illinois taxpayers have seen recently what can happen at independent agencies that lack a clear chain of accountability while responsible for public funds.” Cronin said. “This law will hopefully prevent future problems at the DuPage Water Commission and ensure transparency and frugality on behalf of county taxpayers.”

Several community groups and officials supported the legislation, including Downers Grove Mayor Ron Sandack, DuPage United, the Downers Grove Chamber of Commerce and the Naperville Chamber of Commerce.

At a time when government is heaping debt on our children to pay in the future, the Illinois House had an opportunity this week to improve the future for some of our state’s most vulnerable children. Lawmakers considered a landmark bill that would’ve given students a chance to escape some of the worst schools in the Chicago Public School system.

We’ve heard the phrase “too big to fail” often over the last year. The Chicago Public School system is simply “too big to succeed.” With more than 400,000 students and a $5.3 billion budget, CPS cannot possibly meet the needs of every student, especially those students living in the most poverty-ridden and dangerous communities in the city.

A bill that I co-sponsored with Senator James Meeks would have provided a voucher to more than 20,000 families whose children are trapped in the lowest performing grade schools in Chicago. A parent could use the voucher to enroll their child in a private or parochial school they otherwise could not afford. The cost of each voucher would have been significantly less than the debt burden each child now owes in the State of Illinois.

Despite all the benefits of this program, the Illinois House failed to pass this bill. The entrenched interests, determined to protect the status quo at the expense of children, won the day. These are the very same special interests that have helped create Illinois’ massive debt crisis by driving up benefit and retirement promises to public employees over the last few decades. The very same groups that refuse any reform that might help our state’s fiscal condition. They very same groups that claim to care about children, yet balk at any new program that might weaken their power base.

Once again, the bureaucracy succeeded and thousands of Chicago schoolchildren lost an opportunity for a better education and better future. It’s unfortunate that some lawmakers easily put our children in debt, yet refuse to invest in them.

State Senator Dan Cronin
(R-21), Elmhurst