Quinn holding towns hostage

The Village of Wayne vehemently disagrees with Gov. Quinn’s suggestion that the Local Government Distributive Fund payments to all Illinois municipalities and counties be diverted unless local officials support his borrowing plan. It will devastate local government budgets; result in cuts to services Illinois residents rely on each day; attempts to solve budget problems created by the state by penalizing local governments; completely ignores budget problems of local governments; and makes obvious that you are completely oblivious to the salary freezes, employee furloughs, deferred replacement of equipment and deferred road maintenance already imposed by local governments.

The $73 per capita revenue reduction his plan would cause is a substantial portion of local government budgets. Gov. Quinn has often stated that local governments must “share the pain” of the state’s budget problems. We felt the pain of our reduced revenue long before he made that statement. We were responsible and took measures to live within our means, even with the state payments that are sorely past due. His plan would unjustifiably spread the state’s pain and create financial chaos across Illinois.

How Gov. Quinn’s budget director could state that any plan to divert the payments is not “a hostile message” toward local governments is so beyond comprehension that one must question his mental state.

Gov. Quinn’s plan to hold local governments hostage would be a financial disaster throughout Illinois, would only hand off a state problem to local governments, and would be a political disaster for him.

There is only one appropriate place for his proposal — in a roaring fire in one of the many fireplaces in the mansion.

Eileen Phipps

President

Village of Wayne