FACT SHEET

Fiscal Year: 4/1/xx - 3/31/xx

Total Estimated Revenue (2012 budget): $2.6 million

General Town Fund: Revenue Source

Est. Revenue - $2.1 million

Property Taxes - $1.9 million, 73% of total estimated revenue.

Replacement Tax - $ 100k, 4%

Levy Rental Fund: Revenue Source

Est. Revenue - $169k, 7% of total estimated revenue.

Bar Fees - $85,000

Rental Fees - $60,000

DuPage Township Scholarships:  Only the "Well-Off" & "Well-Connected" Need Apply

Noveber 17, 2011

By James Kadlec

Volunteer Reporter, Waste Tracker

Kevin Mitchem, the son of James Mitchem, the Valley View School Superintendent, received one of ten $500 scholarships that DuPage Township awarded to high school seniors earlier this year. If a needs test was a qualifier for the scholarship, however, the Superintendent's son would not have been eligible.

Based on the administrator salary compensation report presented at the Valley View Board of Education's October 11 meeting, as reported by the Romeoville Patch, Superintendent James Mitchem pulls in a base salary of $199,000. In addition, the same report shows that Jacqueline Mitchem, Kevin’s mother and a Valley View Elementary School Principal, is paid a $90,021 base salary. The bottom line is DuPage Township awarded a scholarship to the son of two highly paid Valley School administrators, with $289,021 total base income.

The DuPage Township Board periodically spouts that one of the primary responsibilities of townships is to provide social services for the poor and aged. Perhaps the Board has expanded its reach and now caters its services to the extremely well-off & well-connected.

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Has DuPage Township Outlived Its Usefulness?

Taxpayers across the state are asking the very same question.  

November 11, 2011

By Rhonda Reed-Slaughter

Do we need DuPage Township?

As state legislators, and media outlets openly criticize township government, taxpayers are now questioning whether township government has outlived its basic usefulness to the public.

The Number Crunchers have published several articles on the subject.

Just to recap, we've discovered the following:

1. DuPage Township programs are duplicative in nature.  Similar programs are being offered by the park district, county, and local non-profits.
2. DuPage Township spends too much money on senior programming.  Bolingbrook Park District can provide senior programming at a fraction of the cost.
3. DuPage Township donate hundreds of thousands in tax dollars to favorite charities, and continues to heavily fund their local favorites.  All at taxpayers expense.

Take a moment to read more on the topic, and decide for yourself. 

Do you believe DuPage Township has outlived its usefulness?

CLICK TO READ PAST ARTICLE

CLICK TO READ BGA's NEW INVESTIGATION

CLICK TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON THE BLOG

DuPage Township continues to funnel tens of thousands to favorite charities & non-profits, despite media criticsm.  

Looks as if DuPage Township Supervisor, Bill Meyer, and the township board have decided to ignore the growing concerns of taxpayers.

We were shocked to learn they were still dumping tens of thousands (tax dollars) into their favorite charities and non-profits.

Check out two of the "well connected" organizations that received money (aka our tax dollars) from DuPage Township within the past 6 months.

PAT CLAAR, HEART HAVEN OUTREACH (H2O)

Date:  8/25/11

Amount: $20,000

Political Ties:  Pat Claar is married to Mayor Claar, and daughter Lyndsey created H2O.

DuPage Township has increased it's funding to H2O.  They donated $5k in fiscal years 2008 & 2009.  $10,000 was donated in 2010. 

In September, the township donated a whopping $20,000. 

Guess it pays to be married to the Mayor.

BOLINGBROOK FIRE FIGHTERS UNION

Date:  6/14/11

Amount:  $1,000

Political Ties:  A year ago, the BB firefighters union openly criticized the Mayor, and Village board, after the layoff of 2 firefighters. 

Mysteriously, attitudes quickly changed, the 2 men were hired back, and the union openly endorsed the First Party in the highly contested April, 2011 election.

In fact, union president, Matt Olson wrote a passionate endorsement letter that was included in the campaign literature mailed to more than 21k homes in Bolingbrook.

Many wonder if the $1,000 donation was nothing more than quid pro quo.

Some also question whether it's ethical for public workers like the firefighters to inject themselves into local campaigns. 

The Bolingbrook Firefighters Union have also donated money to Senator Wilhelmi (D) and Emily McAsey's (D) campaigns.

Note: The BB police union remained neutral, not offering an endorsement to any candidate.

CLICK TO READ UNION PRES. MATT OLSON'S OFFICIAL RESPONSE

FINAL WORD 

There's a laundry list of "pet" organizations sucking money from taxpayers via DuPage Township.   This is an ongoing, chronic problem.

It's important that we closely monitor how and where they are spending our tax dollars.

Coming soon, The Number Crunchers will be publishing DuPage Township's monthly payables online.  Stay tuned.

June 30, 2011

By Rhonda Reed-Slaughter

rhonda@thenumbercrunchers-bolingbrook.com

On Tuesday, June 28, 2011, DuPage Township held a public hearing to discuss the tentative budget for fiscal year 2011/12.

As a government finance advocate, I wanted to witness the budgeting process first hand.   With pen, and paper in hand, I came prepared and ready with 4 important questions. 

1. Did Total Expenditures increase or decrease?
2. Where (in the budget) are the significant increases?
3. Did DuPage Township present a balanced budget for fiscal year 2011/12?
4. If not, are they (DuPage Township) willing to cut-back in those "areas of increase" to achieve a real balanced budget?

As a fiscal conservative, I believe steady decreases in government spending should be a top priority. Especially on a local level.  But at the end of the day, this is only my opinion, one opinion.      

I want to hear from you.  As a resident, and/or taxpayer, where do you stand?

Before answering, take a moment to review each question and answer (below). 

QUESTION 1:

Did Total Expenditures for 2011/12 increase? 

Yes.  According to the tentative budget for 2011/12, total expenditures increased by $460k. 

• 2011/12, budget  $3.0 million 
• 2010/11, actual   $2.5  million

Click to view graph

QUESTION 2:

Where (in the budget) are the significant increases?

There were significant increases in 2 Township funds.

• The General Town Fund (GTF) - $201k net increases.
• The General Assistance Fund (GAF) - $189k net increases.

Click to view graph

In the General Town Fund (GTF), there were significant increases across the board totalling more than $200k.

Summary of net increases in GTF:

• Administration  $42k
• Assessor  $37k
• Youth Services  $15k
• Senior Prgmg  $26k
• Food Pantry  $25k
• Maintenance  $26k
• Contingencies  $30k

Other than the Assessor's office and the food pantry, why did the Township increase spending in the other areas?  The youth services and senior programing can both be handled by Bolingbrook Park District.  The administration cost can be completely gutted.

What's going on here?

In the General Assistance Fund (GAF), spending increased by $189k.

Summary of net increases in the GAF:

• Adm. Personnel  $41k
• Adm. Contrct Svcs  $24k
• Home Relief-Contrct Svcs  $124k

Why are they increasing personnel and contract services?

QUESTION 3:

Did DuPage Township balance the budget for fiscal year 2011/12?

The budget presented at the hearing on June 28, 2011 was not in balance.  The report is showing a budget deficit in the amount of $402k.

• total revenue (budget)  $2.6 million
• total expenditure (budget) $3.0 million

The $402k budget deficit is a direct result of spending increases in the General Town Fund (GTF) and General Assistance Fund (GAF).

Click to view graph

QUESTION 4:

Should the Township consider cutting in the GTF and GAF funds to balance the budget?

If the Township truly wants to achieve a real balanced budget, they can start by reversing the original spending increases in the GTF ($201k) and GAF ($189k) funds. 

Furthermore, if they truly want to save the taxpayers money, why not commit to a policy of reduced spending across the board, every year.  Sure, it's radical thinking for a governmental entity to commit to spending less money, but it will certainly benefit the community because it saves taxpayers money.

FINAL WORD

How DuPage Township decides to deal with the $402k budget deficit or the spending issues will depend on three things -

1. The Township's commitment to achieving a real balanced budget.
2. The Township's policy on spending.
3. The community's level of interest in government spending.

Take some time to review the 2011/12 tentative budget on your own.  Feel free to contact me via email if you have any specific questions related to the financials.

Also, consider contacting DuPage Township Supervisor, Bill Meyer, or one of the Township Trustees at www.dupagetownship.com.  They are directly responsible for the budget, and can answer any questions you may have.

In the spirit of full transparency, and respect for our local government, and elected officials, we feel it's important to give local leaders the opportunity to weigh-in on our findings, if they so choose. 

The "list of findings" were sent to DuPage Township Supervisor, Bill Meyer.  Any comments Meyer shares will be published immediately. 

click to share your comments

DuPage Township Conflict of Interest

Did Mayer and Rashid resign due to media pressure?

May 29, 2011

By James Kadlec

Jkadlec@thenumbercrunchers-bolingbrook.com

Possible Bolingbrook Cricket League Board Resignations

DuPage Township Supervisor William Mayer and Trustee Faisel Rashid may have resigned in the last few days from the Bolingbrook Cricket League's Board. Although the League's website- http://www.bolingbrookcricket.com  does not report the resignations, it no longer lists Mayer as the League's Treasurer and Rashid as its Secretary. In 2010, the League elected each to two-year terms.

If Mayer and Rashid did resign, they may have done so because of the political heat they've been receiving regarding their dual Township and League positions.

We previously reported on news websites, including The Number Crunchers, Bolingbrook, Naperville and Romeoville Patch, that Mayer and Rashid breached their fiduciary duties to Township residents when they voted at the Township's May 10 meeting to approve a $2,000 donation to the Bolingbrook Cricket League.

Neither informed the meeting attendees of their conflict of interest. Both should have excused themselves from discussing and voting to approve the $2,000.

Other Township Conflicts of Interest

Beside William Mayer and Faisel Rashid, two other Bolingbrook Cricket League Board members have ties to the DuPage Township Board.

The League's website lists Talat Rashid as its Vice President and Kevin Palmer as its Board Member At Large.

Talat Rashid is the father of Township Trustee Rashid and Kevin is the brother of Trustee Leslie Palmer. Because Trustee Palmer's family member is a League officer, she also had a conflict of interest when she voted to approve the $2,000 to the Bolingbrook Cricket League. Palmer also failed to disclose her conflict before voting.

If other Township officials knew of Supervisor Mayer and Trustees Rashid and Palmer's conflicts of interest when voting on the $2,000 donation, they too breached their fiduciary duties to DuPage Township residents. (Note: At the May 10 Township meeting, Trustee Felix George voted to donate the $2,000; Trustee Steve Mikos was absent.)

The Township Board's conflicts of interest regarding the Bolingbrook Cricket League were learned after the May 10 Township meeting. Because the Board members have not publicly acknowledged their Bolingbrook Cricket League conflicts, it's uncertain whether they would disclose additional conflicts with other organizations that have matters that come before the Board.

Who's Minding the Store?

There are no checks and balances over the DuPage Township Board. Township officials who vote on Board matters - the Supervisor and four Trustees are members of the same political party.

The Township's two other elected officials - Collector Shirley Valevicius and Assessor John Randall do not vote. In addition, the news media does not attend and report on Township meetings.

DuPage Township residents have little or no knowledge regarding Board dealings. The Township's annual financial statements are distributed only to those who attend the Township's annual meetings, but are not posted on the Township website. In addition, these statements are not comprehensive annual financial reports (CAFRs) of the Township's total performance that government transparency organizations recommend.

No financial information (for example, vendor payments, employee salaries and benefits, budgets, and contracts) is reported either online or to meeting attendees. Meeting minutes also are not shared with residents. It appears that the Board prefers keeping Township residents in the dark and not providing them the means to monitor how their tax dollars are spent.

If you, as a DuPage Township resident, want oversight over your Township Board, you need to periodically attend Board meetings. Meetings are at 7 PM on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the Township Office (241 Canterbury Lane, Bolingbrook). Please join your neighbors at the next meeting on Tuesday, June 14. Meetings are usually short - 30 minutes or less. The Board regularly approves agenda items with little discussion; they seem to like it that way.

HOT TIP!

Bill Mayer, DuPage Township Supervisor

("Mayor In Training")

More interested in playing dirty politics than cutting cost?

October 29, 2010

By Rhonda Reed-Slaughter

In efforts to cut cost, Bill Mayer, DuPage Township Supervisor (aka "Mayor in training") has come up with a clever proposal.

"Eliminate the DuPage Township Collector position."

Why is this an issue?

Shirley Valevicius, the DuPage Township Collector was elected by the people in 2009 to serve a 4 year term.

In addition, she's the only democrat serving on the DuPage Township board, earning a whopping salary of $100 per month. 

The DuPage Township board consist of 8 elected positions.

1.  Supervisor, Bill Mayer - Republican

2.  Assessor, John Randall

3.  Clerk, Patricia Stach - Republican

4.  Collector, Shirley V. - Democrat

5.  4 Trustees - All Republican

Bill Mayer's Strategy?

From what we understand, Bill Mayer will present the proposal to the DuPage Township Trustees in 2012 as a "position to be eliminated".  All under the guise of "cutting cost".

All 4 Trustees are republican and staunch Claar supporters.  It's almost certain they will approve Mayer's proposal, unanimously.

Since Shirley Valevicius, Township Collector only receives $100 per month for her services, why would Mayer choose to focus on her position when there are obvious areas of waste that he can cut?

Alternative Cost Cutting Measures

The Number Crunchers analyzed DuPage Township's FYE 2009 financials to identify cost that could be trimmed by Mayer and his team. 

TRAVEL  $10,000

TRAINING  $17,500

OFFICE/OPERATING SUPPLIES  $89,000

BROCHURES   $35,380

VOLUNTEER DINNER   $5,384

EQUIPMENT / COMPUTERS   $18,000

PRINTING/POSTAGE   $14,000

YOUTH SERVICES:  GOLF   $7,400

YOUTH SVCS:  NEW PROGRAMS   $12,000

YOUTH SVCS:  STARS CONV.   $6,000

YOUTH SVCS:  SCHOLARSHIP   $5,250

YOUTH SVCS: SPORTS SPON.   $4,975

SENIOR:  RECREATION TRIPS   $14,000

SENIOR:  OLYMPICS   $6,000

SENIOR:  SOCIAL ENTERTAINMENT   $17,500

SALARIES:  DT SUPERVISOR   $29,000

SALARIES:  ADMINISTRATOR   $58,000

SALARIES:  FOOD PANTRY MGR   $57,000

SALARIES:  CAREER COUNSELOR   $51,000

SALARIES:  ACCOUNTANT   $51,000

To put this in context, total expenditures @ FYE2009 was $2.15 million.  The expenditures identified (above) represents 23% of the total.

If DuPage Township Supervisor, Bill Mayer and his team truly want to cut cost, why not start with the areas we've identified in our investigation?

FYE 2009 Revenue & Expense Analysis - Overall

DuPage Township generated approximately $2.11 million in revenue.   More than 94% of the revenue comes directly from property taxes.

The Township spent approximately $2.15 million, which netted a budget deficit of $43k.

We look forward to examining DuPage Township's FYE 2010 financials.

According to DuPage Township, the 2010 financials are currently being audited.  They will release the financials to the public once the audit's complete.

Questions to consider

Will the 2010 financials reflect a budget deficit or surplus?

In FYE2010, Did Mayer and his team cut in any of the areas highlighted above?

What does the FYE 2011 budget look like?

The answer to these questions will create a clear picture as to the fiscal policies of Bill Mayer and his team.   Are they saving taxpayers' money, or spending recklessly with no fiscal restraint?

Use the results to judge their performance.  Remember, they are all up for re-election in 2013.

In the meantime, keep your eyes open.  Lets see if Bill Mayer will move forward with eliminating the Township Collector's position in 2012.

LEECH ALERT!!!

Part 2

DuPage Township Spends Close to $200k Financing Local Non-Profits

Legitimate cost?  Or wasteful spending?

You decide.

CLICK TO READ MORE

Du Page Township's New Appointee Collected $66k From the Township in 2010: Legitimate Appointment? Or Conflict of Interest?

Just recently, Township Supervisor, Bill Mayer publicly announced the name of the person that will replace Lesley Palmer, a Township trustee who recently stepped-down from the elected position.

The lucky person to score a seat on one of Claar's boards? Alissia Benford.

Benford, a devout supporter of Mayor Claar and the First Party, owns Benford Brown and Associates, CPA. A successful small business with offices in Bolingbrook, and the south-side of Chicago.

Normally, in communities that are less dysfunctional, an appointment like this is not a big deal, but we're talking about Bolingbrook. Some would argue the most dysfunctional government in Illinois, second only to Chicago.

To recap, Bolingbrook is a community with 5 government entities. More than 95% of the elected seats are controlled by Mayor Claar (aka The First Party, Friends of Valley View).

Those who serve under Claar's regime reap huge rewards for their loyalty.

For example, Mrs. Benford's business has benefited greatly to the tune of $65k (in 2010) from DuPage Township. The very same government who's board she will now be serving on.

That's right! According to Du Page Township's Annual Treasurer's Report for fiscal year 2010, Mrs. Benford's business collected a whopping $66k from DuPage Township. In 1 year alone.

Curious minds want to know -

1. How much did the Township pay Benford Brown & Associates in fiscal year 2011?
2. What kind of accounting services cost $65k, especially when Benford Brown did not perform the annual audits? Plus, DuPage Township's budget and operations is very small compared to the Village or Park District.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

If you are a business owner, it pays to establish a relationship with Claar, and join his regime. The rewards are great.

But as a taxpayer, we are the ones footing the bill.

It's obvious Mrs. Benford is a smart, devoted member of the community, who successfully built strong ties with Claar, and is now a member of his regime.

She's a business owner. We understand her motivation to promote and expand her CPA business by making the right connections, staying active in the community, and serving on boards.

But, is it fair to taxpayers, and the community overall?

Can Mrs. Benford honestly make decisions that are in the best interest of the community if she's also providing professional services, benefiting financially from the same government entity?

This question can only be answered by taxpayers.

Remember, it's our tax dollars that fund these government agencies.

Are you comfortable with this? We want to hear from you.

Do you consider this appointment to be legitimate or a conflict of interest?

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DuPage Township Scheduled To Pass 2011/12 Budget On Tuesday

Will they continue to use tax dollars to fund "pet charities & non-profits"? 

June 27, 2011

By Jim Kadlec

Jkadlec@thenumbercrunchers-bolingbrook.com

Are you fed up with your local government?  You don't need to continue to complain until the next election about how things are run. 

Do something now!

You may already know that some DuPage Township Board members are officers of local non-profits that the Township funds with your tax dollars.

Between 2007 and 2010, Heart Haven Outreach (H2O), started by Lindsey Claar, Mayor Claar’s daughter, and run by Pat Claar (Mayor's wife) received DuPage Township funding. DuPage Township Supervisor Bill Mayer is H2O’s President and apparently sees no conflict of interest by his funding votes.

If you believe such spending is wrong and needs to stop, please attend the next DuPage Township Board meeting when the Board votes on whether to approve the Township’s 2011-2012 budget.

Be there to find out whether the Board will again fund H2O and other organizations with officers who are Township Board members. The meeting will be on Tuesday, June 28 at 7 pm at the DuPage Township Center, 241 Canterbury Lane, Bolingbrook.

To get the government you deserve, please hold your Township officials accountable. If you do nothing, you get the government that your Township officials want.

We hope you join us this Tuesday evening.

DuPage Township Board's Conflict of Interest

May 20, 2011

By Jim Kadlec

jkadlec@thenumbercrunchers-bolingbrook.com

At its May 10 meeting, the DuPage Township Board, including Supervisor Bill Mayer and Trustee Faisel Rashid, approved a $2,000 sponsorship requested by the Bolingbrook Cricket League.  The Board also approved two other sponsorship / donation requests at the meeting -- $1,000 to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and $500 to the Bolingbrook Rotary Club Fundraiser.  In addition, at its April 26 meeting, the Board approved sponsorships / donations totaling $4,500 to six other community organizations.

Before approving the $2,000 to the Bolingbrook Cricket League, neither Mayer nor Fashid disclosed that each serves on the League's Board.  The Bolingbrook Cricket League's website (http://www.bolingbrookcricket.com/rules-bcl.pdf) lists Mayer as the League's Treasurer and Rashid as its Secretary, both with two-year terms that began in 2010.

Mayer and Rashid should have disclosed their conflict of interest and excused themselves from discussing and voting to approve the $2,000 sponsorship. 

As Board members of both DuPage Township and the Bolingbrook Cricket League, a reasonable person could consider their approving the $2,000 to the Bolingbrook Cricket League as a breach in their duty and loyalty to DuPage Township residents.

If either Mayer or Rashid is unclear regarding the meaning of a conflict of interest, they should refer to Section VII. - Conflict of Interest - of the Bolingbrook Cricket League's By Laws:

Any member of the board who has a financial, official interest in, or conflict (or appearance of conflict) with any matter before the Board, of such nature that it prevents or may prevent that member from acting on the matter in an impartial manner, will offer to the Board to voluntarily excuse him / herself and will vacate his seat and refrain from discussion and voting on said matter.

Mayer and Rashid had a second opportunity to disclose their conflict of interest during the Public Comments / Questions portion of the Board meeting.  After specific questions were asked to Mayer regarding Township donations and sponsorships, including the Bolingbrook Cricket League sponsorship, Mayer mentioned that the Board would consider donating to any Township group that serves either the community's youth or seniors.

Most readers are members of groups that support such causes, but may be unaware that Township funds are available for the good works of their organizations.  According to Mayer, youth and senior organizations need only submit a written request to the Township Board for donations / sponsorships. 

Note to DuPage Township residents regarding Township services:  DuPage Township, like many Illinois townships, has over the years expanded its services beyond the three mandated by the State -- general assistance, property assessment, and road and bridge maintenance.  Several of DuPage Township's expanded services are redundant with those provided by the Township's three municipalities (Bolingbrook, Romeoville and Naperville), other governmental units within the three municipalities (such as park and school districts), Will County, and private agencies.  DuPage Township's Board is so eager to find new ways to spend tax dollars that at its May 10 meeting, it appointed three residents to a Youth Task Force to recommend new youth programs that most likely the three municipal park districts could provide.

Note to community organizations that apply for Township funds:  You don't need to be politically connected to the DuPage Township Board to be awarded tax dollars, but it sure doesn't hurt.  Better hurry though and submit your formal requests before the donation spigot runs dry.

Note to DuPage Township Board members:  You were elected to represent the interests of DuPage Township residents.  If you have a conflict of interest, you need to reveal it and not participate in discussing or voting to fund community organizations on which you serve as an officer.  To do otherwise is unethical.

In addition, if the Township has collected excess taxes, the Township Board should rebate the taxes to Township taxpayers rather than creating a Task Force to find new ways to spend tax dollars.

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Illinois Legislators Set to Re-Examine the Need For Township Government

May 7, 2011

We've published several articles asking the community to consider whether we need DuPage Township.  The Township collects $2.1 million in property taxes, perform duplicative services, and spends way too much money on senior programming.

Looks as if we are not the only critics of Township Government.

According to Senate President John Cullerton (D), "the time has come to re-examine the need for so many units of local government that result in higher taxes and less efficiency."

Click on to the link below to view Cullerton's video, and read the article published by the Better Government Association (BGA).

CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO & ARTICLE

CLICK TO ADD COMMENTS

TRANSPARENCY MAY FINALLY BE COMING TO DUPAGE TOWNSHIP

May 3, 2011

By James Kadlac

jkadlac@thenumbercrunchers-bolingbrook.com

Residents Want More Than Just "Consideration"

At DuPage Township's 2010 and 2011 annual meetings, requests for greater government transparency were made to the Township Board. Those attending the meetings asked that greater information including meeting agendas and minutes and Township financial statements be posted on the Township website.

Residents - whether they are Democrats, Republicans, Tea Party members or those with no party affiliation - need such information in order to be better informed regarding how their government spends their taxes and to more fully participate in their government.

At both annual meetings, Bill Mayer, the Township Supervisor, informed the meeting attendees that "consideration" would be given to their requests.

To Get "Consideration", You Need to Ask for It

The agenda handed out to those attending the April 26 Board meeting - the first regular meeting following the 2011 annual meeting - did not list transparency as an item for discussion.

In addition, prior to the Public Comments and Questions portion of the meeting, the Board never mentioned how they were "considering" greater website transparency.

Only when several meeting attendees questioned the Board regarding transparency did Mayer discuss the matter. Mayer indicated that he and the Township's website vendor would survey the websites of neighboring townships and within one month, propose to the Board changes to DuPage Township's website.

What Transparency Should Include

Because most other township websites also lack transparency, a copy of Illinois Senate Bill 37 (The Local Government Transparency Act) - currently being considered by the General Assembly - was handed to Mayer. Senate Bill 37 (SB37) would require local governments post the following 14 categories of information for the current and past four years on their websites:

• Contact information for elected and appointed officials
• Notice of regular and special meetings
• Procedures for requesting information from the unit of local government
• Annual budget
• Ordinances under which the local government operates
• Procedures to apply for building permits and zoning variances
• Financial reports and audits
• Information concerning employee compensation
• Contracts with lobbying firms
• Taxes and fees imposed by the government unit
• Expenditures
• Rules governing the award of contracts
• Bids and contracts worth $25,000 or more
• Campaign contributions made by a vendor

The Illinois Policy Institute, a bipartisan research organization, summarizes SB37 on its website: http://www.illinoispolicy.org/uploads/files/localgovernmenttransparencyact2-28.pdf

Because the Illinois Policy Institute audits government websites for transparency, we asked the Institute to identify three or four Chicago area government websites that have the greatest level of transparency.  The identified websites will be shared with the DuPage Township Board for their review.

Insist that Your DuPage Township Board Provide Complete Transparency

DuPage Township residents should insist that their Township Board include all 14 categories of information that SB37, when passed, would require.

Residents may email Supervisor Mayer at WMayer@DuPageTownship.com or phone him at (630) 759-1317.

We will keep DuPage Township residents informed regarding future Board transparency discussions.

CLICK TO JOIN DEBATE

April 21, 2011

By James Kadlec

Jkadlec@thenumbercrunchers-bolingbrook.com

The Need for Government Transparency

The public needs to "see through" government workings in order to know exactly what goes on when public officials transact public business.  When government is transparent, citizens can more fully participate in their government and hold their elected officials accountable for decisions that affect their daily lives.  Corruption of the system and undue influence is also less likely when there is oversight by an informed citizenry.

CLICK TO READ MORE

Du Page Township

Annual Town Meeting

A Tale of 3 Worlds

April 14, 2011

By Rhonda Reed-Slaughter

Du Page Township's annual Town meeting was held on Tuesday, April 13, 2011, in a very small conference room, filled to capacity.

It was quite evident, there were 3 distinct groups present at the meeting.

1. The Seniors
2. The Politicians
3. The Taxpayers

Each group had a very distinct purpose, and goal in mind.

CLICK TO READ MORE

Du Page Township's Annual Town Meeting  

April 7, 2011

By Rhonda Reed-Slaughter

Du Page Township's annual town meeting is scheduled for 7pm on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at the DuPage Township Conference Room.

The Township will be presenting their 2010/11 financials.  So mark your calendar.  We look forward to seeing those numbers.

Key point to remember - if they claim to be generating a "net profit", always verify whether (or not) they are including depreciation, amortization, and interest expense.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

February 7, 2011

By Rhonda Reed-Slaughter

rhonda@thenumbercrunchers-bolingbrook.com

Du Page Township is a governmental entity (in Bolingbrook) that provides emergency service to the community, maintain roads/bridges (only in unincorporated areas), and offer programs to seniors and the youth. 

The Township (as a governmental entity) was adopted in 1848 to assist the needs of the community.  Township government is one of the oldest units of government in North America. 

Today, many wonder if the community can afford township government.  Considering the fact that taxpayers are burdened with paying for our public schools, public safety workers, library and park district.  

Is it possible that the existing governmental units (schools, library, Village, etc.), local churches and private charities can (combined) absorb most of the services provided by DuPage Township without drawing more from taxpayers?

Du Page Township's 2010 budget was approximately $2.3 million.  The Township is managed by a Supervisor, Collector, Clerk and 4 board members.  Also included as part of DuPage Township - the Assessor's office.

All 8 positions are elected positions.  Click here to view their names, political affiliation and term.

The primary services provided by DuPage Township.

* Food Pantry

* General Assistance

* Road & Bridge Maintenance

* Boardman Cemetary

* Levy Senior Center

According to the Fund statements, DuPage Township operated at a net deficit of $37,310 in the governmental funds, and $42,095 net deficit at the Levy Senior Center in fiscal year 2010.

GOVERNMENTAL FUNDS ($37,310)

* Total Revenue: $2,266,665. 

* 94% of the revenue comes from

   property taxes.

* Total Expenditures:  $2,303,975

* More than 70% of the expenditures

   were generated in 3 primary areas.

    1.  ADMINISTRATION  $ 1.05 mill  46%

    2.  SENIOR/LEVY CNTR  $ 341k  14%

    3.  ASSESSOR'S DIV.  $ 282k  12%

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