Only 2.0 percent reported that the number had declined. Thus, the size of the privatization efforts may be large. Robin A. Johnson is director of Local Government Affairs in the Office of Comptroller Loleta Didrickson. Norman Walzer is director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. Services currently privatized.
Privatization exists on two levels in Illinois.
Officials from larger cities are turning to privatization as a way to reduce costs while maintaining or improving the quality of services. In Illinois, privatization is fairly widespread, with almost every municipality reporting contracting at least one service and nearly every one of the 82 services listed on the survey was contracted in at least one municipality. Many cities report contracting for a large number of services. Some cities contract for nearly all services provided to the public. Crestwood has been able to rebate property taxes as a result of saving tax dollars through privatization.