Don't cut funding to municipalities

As local government leaders, we are extremely aware of the unprecedented fiscal challenges facing our state governments in these times of economic turmoil. The same downturn in revenues causing Illinois to face a nearly $13 billion shortfall has had a nearly identical impact on local government budgets.

As the Governor and General Assembly consider steps to resolve the state budget crisis, a proposal to cut the local government share of the state income tax by 30 percent has been floated by Governor Quinn. We are strongly opposed to Governor Quinn's proposal.

Local government leaders have taken aggressive steps to pare down the costs of operating municipal government.

Like our constituents have had to adjust their spending during this downturn, our towns have cut their budgets by utilizing an array of tactics including: reduction of vital services; decreases in staffing through layoffs, attrition and leaving posts vacant; instituting hiring freezes, salary freezes and furlough days; deferring investment in critical infrastructure and equipment; and just simply doing more with less revenue. In many towns, we have cut to the point where critical functions such as public safety will see even further cuts in equipment and staffing.

The amount of income taxes returned to our communities has already dropped by over $14 per capita in just the past two years, a loss of over $1 million in some larger suburbs. Dropping this by an additional 30 percent would create a new $1.7 million hole in the budgets of suburbs such as Arlington Heights, Evanston and Schaumburg.

For non-home rule municipalities, which lack the authority to pass this burden onto the property tax, it would likely leave them insolvent and facing bankruptcy.

We urge our constituents to contact Governor Quinn and their legislators and tell them to not pass the state's fiscal problems directly onto the backs of local taxpayers.

Gerald Turry

President, Northwest Municipal Conference

Mayor, Village of Lincolnwood