Daily Herald - May 4, 2010

SPRINGFIELD - A sales tax imposed by the DuPage County Water Commission would end and its 13-member governing board restocked under a legislative deal on its way to the governor's desk.

The Illinois Senate overwhelmingly approved a proposed law that would strip the commission of its sales tax ability effective June 1, 2016. A quarter-percent sales tax imposed by the commission generates approximately $30 million annually.

If Gov. Pat Quinn signs the plan into law, the commission members would have to resign and new members would be appointed. The DuPage County Board chairman appoints seven, and local mayors appoint the other six.

The proposal was sponsored by Elmhurst Republican state Sen. Dan Cronin and Carol Stream Republican state Rep. Randy Ramey. Initially it would have consolidated control of the commission under county government. But critics portrayed that as a power grab by Cronin, the GOP nominee for county board chairman, even though Cronin pointed to audits showing substantial cost savings.

A compromise dropped consolidation and focused primarily on ending the sales tax and implementing a series of accounting and transparency measures to ensure questionable financial practices aren't repeated.

The commission became an issue at the Capitol after an audit suggested negligent bookkeeping lost the commission almost $69 million.

The sales tax will remain in place until 2016 because it is used to pay off commission borrowing. The last payment is slated for May of that year with the tax authority taken away the following month.

"If I could have sunset the sales tax today I would have," Cronin said after the Senate vote.

Cronin said he'd like to put to DuPage County voters the idea of having the county takeover the commission's responsibilities. If supported on the November ballot, legislation could be filed during lawmakers' fall session.