The following draft was prepared for the ILA Public Policy Committee's consideration with eventual transmission to the ILA Executive Board.  At this stage, we need to provide very general guidance and ILA will provide more specific advice as the Commission's work begins and becomes more focused.  For now, please read what follows below and if you have any comments or recommendations, please click here to send your ideas.

House Bill 268 (Public Act 97-316) created a seventeen-member commission to survey the structure of local governments including their organization, powers, jurisdictions, and functions.  The Commission is charged with making specific recommendations for legislation or constitutional amendments that will:

(i) permit effective management of local affairs, (ii) encourage local policy decision making, (iii) reduce the multiplicity of local governments, (iv) eliminate overlapping and duplicating of unnecessary powers, (v) increase efficiency and economy in local governments, and (vi) allow optional forms of local governments and increase their authority for cooperation among the levels of government.

The Commission must provide a final report to the Illinois General Assembly by December 31, 2012.

ILA successfully sought Richard McCarthy's (Gail Borden Public Library District trustee) appointment to the Commission to ensure the interests of Illinois public libraries and their constituents were represented during the Commission's deliberations, and reflected in the Commission's recommendations.  In furtherance of these objectives, ILA provides the following guiding principles:

1. ILA strongly supports each of the goals outlined in the Commission's charge as reflected in sections (i) to (vi) above. Consistent with these stated goals, ILA supports the preservation and enhancement of local control through independent library trustees. ILA agrees that the total number of governmental units in Illinois should be reduced, and unnecessary services should be eliminated. ILA also agrees that local governments should have greater flexibility to cooperate and increase efficiency.
2. Any public library consolidation effort must also include the objective of providing statewide public library service.  The increased efficiencies and lowered costs from consolidation should be applied to ensuring that every Illinois resident has access to quality public library service.
3. Consolidation will be most effective if achieved through incentives to merge, rather than mandated dissolution of libraries by Springfield. There are many significant benefits that will result from the ability to specialize, share staff, as well as integrate facilities and resources. State law should reward consolidation by making it easier to create a merged entity and ensuring that the merged entity has the same or better access to resources and funding.
4. Library laws should be streamlined, updated, and made uniform among the various types of local libraries.  Specifically, public libraries should have funding options that are uniform throughout Illinois.
5. Libraries play a fundamental role in the intellectual life of society, and free access to information cannot be infringed.  Therefore, governance of libraries should remain independent, and where appropriate, independent control should be enhanced.