Suburban mayors fight for state funding

SPRINGFIELD — Suburban mayors descended onto Springfield Wednesday with their colleagues from around the state to protest proposed cuts to cities and villages that they say would result in major cuts to essential services.

The Senate Republicans have proposed cutting the local share of state income, sales and fuel taxes by $300 million next fiscal year.

Robert Abboud, mayor of Barrington Hills, said the state, which is facing a deficit, should not continue to take resources from communities that have operated under balanced budgets.

Gov. Pat Quinn and Democrats who control the Illinois General Assembly aren’t proposing cutting the local share of taxes, but the mayors wanted to confront the idea, anyway.

“We’re going to have to lay off police officers, we’re going to have to lay off firefighters. This is going to be devastating to our communities,” Abboud said. “The only thing worse than having to pay taxes is having to pay taxes that you don’t get services for.”

Many suburban communities have seen significant cuts in the last three years as a result of the recession.

Aurora has made more than $37 million in cuts the last two years, resulting in reducing the workforce by 170 positions, eliminating 25 percent of executive positions and implementing furlough days across the board, for example. Naperville has cut a combination of 100 vacant and filled positions in the last two years and still faces a $7.8 million deficit that could result in the elimination of 11 public safety positions.

Tom Weisner, mayor of Aurora, said communities have sacrificed enough and it is time for the state to fix its problem within its own budget.

“Even a fractional reduction ... would be disastrous,” he said.

The Senate Republicans proposed the $300 million in cuts as part of a plan to cut roughly $5 billion from the budget to combat the state’s deficit. And while there have yet to be any signs the Illinois General Assembly will adopt the proposal, Warrenville Mayor David Brummel said it should not even be considered an option.

“We are in a fight to save our municipalities,” he said. “We have lived within our means, all we want is for the state to do the same.”