Nearly 7,000 reasons your taxes are so danged high

Florida has 6 million more residents than Illinois, yet they get by with a mere 1,650 units of government. We have 6,968. Surprise: Their taxes are lower.

Illinois taxpayers support 102 counties, 1,298 municipalities, 1,431 townships, 905 school districts and 3,232 other single-purpose districts such as mosquito control, street lights, parks, libraries, soil conservation, transit, hospital and other functions that overlap with other taxing district boundaries.

A state task force by Dec. 31 will deliver a report on how to reduce Illinois government and unfunded mandates, and how a liberal pruning can reduce the tax burden, make government work better and reduce the potential for corruption.

Poor Andy Economy may be the poster boy for the problems with paying all those government leaders who sit on multiple boards and then do business with themselves and their friends. Taxpayers hand Economy and his wife $116,000 a year in public pay and $240,840 in government auto repair in five years.

Common sense should rule and consolidation and elimination should become Illinois’ new mantra, but expect a siege and not a battle. Just look at the prolonged death throes we’re seeing trying to eliminate Belleville Township, which taxed $448,691 last year to hand out $83,798 to the needy.

St. Clair County just showed us how important local flexibility can be. The county got jail officers to agree to be reclassified and switch pension systems for a taxpayer savings estimated to hit $250,000 a year for just 50 workers.

Consolidation and elimination will not come easy, but even winning the easy skirmishes will be well worth it.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Nearly 7,000 reasons your taxes are so danged high."