How did we get here?
Tuesday, Feb 14, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* James Krohe Jr. has an interesting story about one reason why there are so many tiny towns around Springfield…
I hear that Jerome had to lay off its police chief. What, you didn’t know that Jerome had a police chief? Or that Jerome had a police department? Or that Jerome needed a police department? The village is home to only 1,651 people. As for the ability of its tax base to support the full spectrum of modern municipal services, if the freezers at Shop ’n’ Save break down for a week, Jerome would have to lay off a clerk.
Why did this agglomeration of very modest subdivisions (West Grand, Leland Highpoint and Alta Sita) in unincorporated Woodside Township undertake the perils of village-ness? For the answer we must go back to the 1930s. The City of Springfield, thanks to Commissioner Willis J. Spaulding, had a spanking new water system that delivered what he invariably described as “sparkling” water. This was a near-miracle; the only thing harder to swallow than Springfield’s politics over the years had been its water. Folks in the unincorporated parts of Sangamon County were still drinking water from holes in the ground. They’d never seen water that sparkled except in the movies, and they wanted some.
Springfield was willing to sell it to them, but how to deliver it? Or rather, how to pay for laying the new mains needed to deliver it? Washington was funding new water systems through the anti-Depression Work Projects Administration, which paid for labor. Locals were responsible for the rest. Unincorporated areas next to the city were connecting to Springfield’s mains, the city recovering part of the costs by assessing residents roughly a buck a lineal foot of pipe. But supplying the future Jerome would take a lot of pipe. (The neighborhood named itself Jerome because it sat on the farm that had belong to Jerome Leland, whose land it once was, and the area was still quasi-rural.) The residents would have to borrow to pay their part of the costs, and selling revenue bonds required that they band together as a corporate entity.
Thus the rush in 1939 to incorporate themselves as villages by citizens who were eager to enjoy modern municipal amenities but preferred that someone else help pay for them. The voters who created Jerome were joined that year by voters in what became Southern View and Grandview. (Residents on the east side rejected a plan to become a new village of Bergen.) […]
There are hundreds of toy towns like these around Illinois. Like special purpose districts and too-small counties and school districts, they duplicate services and waste money and most experts think they ought to be consolidated or otherwise put out of business.
Krohe says the problem is that state law requires both sides agree to an annexation. But that law actually makes sense. Why allow one town or one school district to gobble up another against its will?
Instead, maybe the state could give those tiny towns some incentives along with devising some sort of stick to nudge them toward mergers.
- Anon - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:04 pm:
===Instead, maybe the state could give those tiny towns some incentives along with devising some sort of stick to nudge them toward mergers.===
Lower taxes? More funds available to be spent on services?
Or, by incentive, do they mean jobs for the folks that already have jobs as a result of waste? Titles for folks that already have redundant titles?
If you want to see places consolidate, put it on the November ballot of any general election instead of treating it as a municipal election.
- Pangloss - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:15 pm:
A lot of states have similar issues. Missouri has all the tiny hamlets surrounding St. Louis, more than 20 of which have fewer than 1000 residents. Los Angeles County, California has insane places like the City of Industry (80,000 jobs, but only 219 residents in 2010 Census) and Hawaiian Gardens (less than 1 square mile).
- Mouthy - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:17 pm:
I don’t think Jerome has property taxes so they would only be paying County taxes. In surrounding Springfield you pay city and county taxes. So if a person in Jerome is now paying $1,300. their tax bill would jump to $2,600. Jerome has a lot more businesses than Shop and Save to keep it going on sales tax and it would be wishful thinking on Springfield’s part to think they could snag those sales and property taxes.
- Put the fun in unfunded - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:20 pm:
Make it easier to dissolve municipalities. Right now you’d need a petition signed by a majority of those who voted at the last municipal election.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:20 pm:
I live in a town of about 1500 people in a county with less than 10,000 people. Services are more expensive here. It is the price you pay for living in such a great place! My water/sewer/garbage bill is typically $80-$90. The only grocery store in town (out of a whopping two in the county) charges about double what Aldi does. But we still try to shop there, just not for the majority of our groceries. Housing is cheap though. And the thought of my little town being taken over by another one, or even the COUNTY! No way. No way. County government is about as functional as state government. Except the people in state government actually care more… only slight snark intended. My county is a mess. But the point is, we pay more to be independent. And I am fine with that. The last thing I want is a bunch of outsiders telling my town what to do to save $10 a month. And I wouldn’t much care to tell other small towns around me what to do either. Forget that.
- Dee Lay - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:23 pm:
Look at McCook near LaGrange, a population of 228 but a massive industrial base.
It should have been absorbed years ago.
- Mouthy - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:25 pm:
Jerome doesn’t pay property taxes and has more stores than Shop and Save for sales taxes. No way they’re gonna double their tax bills. It would be wishful thinking by Springfield…
- Anon - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:27 pm:
Municipalities are part of the problem of the most-in-the-nation units of local government. Consequently, they should also be part of the solution.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:32 pm:
===Municipalities are part of the problem of the most-in-the-nation units of local government. Consequently, they should also be part of the solution.===
My county has more townships than municipalities. Just saying….
- Downstate - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:37 pm:
For purposes of water, they can also outsource those services. We’ve had at least one small municipality vote to convert their water system to a co-op. Then the co-op can simply contract with another (larger) co-op to provide service. It’s allowed the small town to avoid trying to pay for their own water plant and full time employees.
- AC - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:51 pm:
Ok, I’ll try again. Why would taxes double if Jerome were annexed by Springfield? Property taxes appear to be very similar for Jerome and Springfield on the Sangamon county website for homes with similar fair market values.
- Jonah - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:54 pm:
Does state law allow municipalities to dissolve/un-incorporate? That’s an alternative to merger/annexation that should probably be afforded to residents.
- My button is broke... - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:57 pm:
Mouthy. Where do you see that Jerome doesn’t have a property tax? According to the Sangamon County Clerk’s site, Jerome’s tax rate is 0.079% and property there has a total rate of 8.1241%. I live in Springfield on the west side and have a total tax rate of 8.2379%. So assuming someone in Jerome paid my new rate, their tax bill would increase by 1.4%. So not exactly doubling their property tax bill. Try not to make stuff up.
- downstate commissionet - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 3:02 pm:
For once, I agree with Ducky LaMoore. Consolidation doesn’t work everywhere…
Also, found it hard to believe that Jerome doesn’t pay property taxes, and checked with County Clerk. They do, but only for police and street lighting. They don’t even levy for insurance or the “Corporate” tax. These could be added (as well as several others), but under PTELL would take a referendum to pass.
Either their sales tax is pretty high, or they are being subsidized somehow by the City of Springfield.
- Cimry90 - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 3:14 pm:
Back in early 2015, Clear Lake Village, a community of 250, located 5 miles east of Springfield was looking at dissolving and put it on the ballot that Spring. Part of the reason was not being able to get people to serve on the Board and shortage of money. The vote to dissolve failed by a vote of 19 to 17.
Here is a link to SJR article.
http://www.sj-r.com/article/20150407/NEWS/150409542
- Old Shepherd - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 3:17 pm:
Dissolving municipalities is not as easy as it sounds. If a municipality is dissolved, who manages the water and sewer system? What if the municipality has debt? Who takes over the debt service? What happens to the municipality’s assets?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 3:21 pm:
Ducky, This isn’t an attack on small rural communities. Jerome, Leland Grove, Southern View, Grandview, etc are all within the physical boundaries of Springfield, but “carved out” as independent townships, villages, etc.
Check out Google Maps to see how fragmented the “city limits” of Springfield are:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Springfield,+IL
All of these places have reputations for over zealous policing, and southern view specifically had some issues with one of it’s officers harassing women a year or two ago.
- very old soil - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 3:31 pm:
I agree with Ducky. If locals are bearing all of the additional costs why should outsiders care? If the state or county is subsidizing their independence then we have something to talk about. But who is going to decide who lives and who dies. (is that from a Mad Max movie)
- Give Me A Break - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 3:33 pm:
Some of these debates always comes down to turf issues. About 10 years ago, the Democrat running for County Treasurer in Sangamon County proposed doing away with the Capitol Township Board as it duplicated services the treasurer’s office did. Guess what, the Sangamon County Republican Party (you know the party of smaller government) opposed the idea.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 3:37 pm:
- My button is broke… - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 2:57 pm:
How much of the property taxes paid to the county by Jerome residents is given back to the village?
- Shemp - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 3:37 pm:
California does, or at least did, have a grant program to fund studies regarding consolidation.
Under 5,000 benefits from being able to enroll all employees in the much more affordable imrf as opposed to separate fire and police pensions, but they can never compete for economies of scale in water treatment plants, wastewater treatments, etc.
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 4:47 pm:
This reinforces my opinion that LGDF needs to be reduced. Then, increasing local taxes can be voted on by those directly affected.
- Jonah - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 4:47 pm:
===Dissolving municipalities is not as easy as it sounds. If a municipality is dissolved, who manages the water and sewer system? What if the municipality has debt? Who takes over the debt service? What happens to the municipality’s assets?===
Good questions…it really just depends on how the law reads. IDK the answers, but one possible scenario would be to be to have assets and liabilities revolve back to township and county governments (e.g. roads, sewers, public safety, etc.) - since those entities were responsible for such things prior to incorporation (no matter when it took place).
- zatoichi - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 5:08 pm:
It is one thing when the municipalities sit directly next to each other’s border like in Springfield or the hundreds of towns/villages around Chicago. Who does Pittsfield or Oblong merge with? I have watched local school districts that are 20 miles apart fight over joint sports teams because seperately they could not field a baseball, volleyball, or basketball team. How are these same town going to share the costs of roads, sewage, fire, water, police, or anything else until they have a problem that literally exceeds their ability to pay for it?
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 6:07 pm:
You might get Jerome at some point in the future. You’ll never get the Grove, where citizens love their personal PD and public works Departments and are willing to pay for it.
Besides, the Zillion video poker machines in Jerome are giving the freezers a little relief.
- The More U Know - Tuesday, Feb 14, 17 @ 6:55 pm:
Technically, Leland Grove is the “richest” place in Illinois - they have the highest income *per capita*, higher even than the high-toned Chicago suburbs.