Letter To The Editor: Madison County Republican Party Votes for a 'Significant Reduction' in the Size of the County Board.

EDWARDSVILLE - Precinct committeemen of the Madison County Republican Party have passed resolution for a “significant reduction” in the size of the county board at its March 22nd meeting.

Elected Republican precinct committeemen Lee Wathan of Collinsville pushed the passage of the resolution before Monday’s county party meeting.

“The Madison County board has twenty-nine paid county board members, which is the maximum allowed by Illinois Law,” Wathan said. “Every ten years the county board has to decide the size of the county board and most counties our size have around twenty board members. If we were to reduce the board by a third, we would save taxpayers around $1.5 million in board salaries, and still have enough members to represent our interests.”

Madison and St. Clair Counties are unique amongst the 102 Illinois counties in that they have twenty-nine board members. Almost all Illinois counties have far fewer members. Cook County has 18 board members.

Reaction to the reduction resolution amongst sitting Republican county board members was mixed.

County Board Member Mick Madison (Bethalto) felt twenty-nine board members were needed due to the workload of the county board and he opposed the resolution’s passage, but did not vote.

County Board Member Mike Babcock (Wood River) voted for the resolution, while Erica Conway-Harriss (Glen Carbon) and Chris Guy (Collinsville) abstained.

- Doug Hulme

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