Five commissioners on Union County ballot

Voters will decide next week, once again, whether or not to expand the Union County Board of Commissioners.

A referendum which appears on the Union County ballot next Tuesday asks voters to decide on expanding the number of commissioners from the current three to five. The commissioners would be elected on an at-large basis.

The issue appeared on the ballot in 2006 in Union County and was approved by voters.

However, Illinois statutes which were in place at the time would not allow the county to expand the number of commissioners.

Little public comment has surfaced locally about the issue.

Last week, however, an item in the form of an editorial cartoon was being circulated in some parts of the county which voiced opposition to increasing the number of commissioners.

The Union County Farm Bureau is voicing support for adding two more members to the county board.

The Farm Bureau says that an expanded county board "will help Union County address today's more complex county government issues."

Union County’s form of government has not changed since Illinois became a state nearly 192 years ago, the Farm Bureau notes.

The organization says that today, county government is faced with many more challenging issues and mandates that require more time, energy and thought to address and fix situations. 

The additional cost in salary and benefits accounts for only .85 percent of the total general fund’s budget. (A county commissioner  is paid $8,000 a year.) 

A larger county board will reduce the need for far more costly professional county management and potentially save the county money in the long run through improved decision making and financial oversight, the Farm Bureau says.

The organization also has cited other factors in support of expanding the board:

An expanded county board will be more representative of the voters.

An expanded county board will allow the potential for improved financial accountability.

An expanded county board will make it easier for members of both parties to serve in county government.

An expanded county board would make it easier for Union County to be represented at various meetings and functions.