Consultant calls for township spending cuts

A consulting firm hired by the town board is recommending spending cuts at Evanston Township.

The report, from The Novak Consulting Group, forecasts $89,000 in savings from eight recommended changes.

But even when combined with $72,000 in projected rent and utility savings from the decision already made to move township offices to the Civic Center, the savings add up to just 8 percent of the nearly $2 million in spending proposed for the township in its 2013-14 budget.

That budget, with a 21 percent spending increase from the previous year, is scheduled to be acted on by the town board July 22.

The consulting firm’s report, provided to Evanston Now by Township Supervisor Gary Gaspard, suggests that the township:

• Contract out the delivery of workforce training for general assistance clients.
• Explore contracting with Connections for the Homeless or Metropolitan Family Services to manage the emergency assistance program.
• Use City of Evanston support services for the township’s finance and information technology needs.
• Fill a vacant case coordinator position and eliminate the township’s personnel manager job.
• Create a user-friendly township website.
• Create a targeted marketing campaign to educate property owners about the township’s taxpayer advocacy services.
• Enhance coordination of governance strategies and service delivery between the township and city.

The consultants, after surveying five nearby townships, concluded that staffing levels for general assistance and township assessor services were similar in Evanston and the other communities.

Evanston Township Assessment Final Report