 The Illinois Senate on Thursday voted unanimously to combine the
state's treasurer and comptroller offices through a constitutional
amendment. If passed, the merger is expected to save about $12
million annually.State Treasurer Dan Rutherford campaigned on the
idea last fall. Rutherford and newly elected Comptroller Judy Baar
Topinka, both Republicans, support the plan.
"Consolidation of the offices of comptroller and treasurer will
improve efficiency, save on personnel and office costs, and deliver
the long-term benefit of more timely state investments," Topinka
said in a prepared statement.
"If government can be more efficient by having less officers and
departments and so forth, then government should do that,"
Rutherford said.
State Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, said the constitutional
amendment goes beyond any monetary gain.
"It's the credibility with the people of the state that when
difficult decisions need to be made -- when Springfield's government
needs to shrink -- that we're not just foisting that on everyone
else," Murphy said.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, said there's no longer a
"need" for both offices.
"As we look for cost savings in government and as we talk about
government consolidation, I think it's important we first show (an)
example on the state level," Raoul said.
The comptroller's office was created by the 1970 Illinois
Constitution to replace the auditor of public accounts. It is
largely seen as a safeguard for state funds. In the 1950s, when
Orville Hodge was auditor of public accounts, he embezzled millions
from the state and eventually pleaded guilty.
"They are separate offices because having one person watching the
finances was too risky. … It was important to have two people
responsible to voters," said David Morrison, deputy director of the
Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. "That said, we may have far
better systems for tracking finances than a century ago, and maybe
there are efficiencies to be gained there."
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Rutherford agreed, crediting the creation of an independent
auditor general and technological advances for eliminating the need
to maintain separate fiscal offices.
The measure now heads to the Illinois House for approval but may
face some opposition from leadership, Rutherford said.
Constitutional amendments require a three-fifths vote in both
chambers to pass.
"This is an old idea that's been around before, so we'll take a
look at it," House Speaker Michael Madigan spokesman Steve Brown
said.
If passed in the General Assembly, the proposal will be put to
voters on the 2012 ballot and, if approved, could potentially go
into effect in time for the 2014 election.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By MELISSA LEU]
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