House Bill 4244 would give McHenry County voters an easier path to having a choice in eliminating their township governments, encouraging consolidation in a county where residents pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation.

One community in northern Illinois’ McHenry County is a case study on the glacial pace of consolidation in a state with the most units of local government – and some of the highest property taxes – in the nation.

State Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, is working on the framework for a bill that would dramatically improve taxpayers’ ability to eliminate township governments, of which Illinois has about 1,400.

House Bill 4083 is the second bill in the Illinois General Assembly to propose getting rid of Cook County’s unpopular soda tax.

The Illinois House on July 2 passed Senate Bill 9, which includes a 32 percent income tax hike. State Rep. David McSweeney filed a bill that would repeal that permanent tax hike should it become law.

The state’s bill backlog is expected to hit $22.7 billion and pension costs are predicted to grow 14 percent by fiscal year 2018.

House Speaker Mike Madigan ducks responsibility for Illinois' woes, spurns term limits, and minimizes his massive power in a new interview.