State Reps. Welch and Ford Take Stand Against Cuts to Local Governments

To prevent skyrocketing property taxes and protect needed local services, Illinois state Rep. Chris Welch, D-Hillside, and state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, are calling on the governor to protect funding for the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF).

“We can’t afford to make cuts to local governments that fund our police officers and fire departments, especially at a time when violent crime threatens our communities,” Welch said. “Cutting wasteful spending and getting our state back in strong fiscal shape is a top priority, but we can’t make cuts that will put residents in danger or pass the burden to working families. Rep. Ford and I urge the governor as well as us colleagues in the Legislature to consider the devastating impact this will have on our neighborhoods.”

Last week Gov. Bruce Rauner proposed a plan to make drastic cuts to many critical state services including more than $600 million to LGDF, a percentage of state income tax that is shared with local governments and distributed based on the population of each unit of government. According to Voices for Illinois Children, the governor’s cuts would result in a loss of $133 million for Chicago, $2.6 million for Oak Park, $1.2 million for Maywood, $670,000 in La Grange Park and $5.2 million for Cook County.

“While I support and encourage efforts to address our state’s budgetary crisis, the governor’s proposal to leave gaping holes in critical parts of our budget isn’t the answer,” Ford said. “The governor’s cuts to local budgets fall on the families that work and live in those communities. Just as the state Legislature has had to make difficult budgetary decisions, our local governments have had to share in the sacrifice and make cuts to local programs. Local governments have been working hard to balance their budgets after a major recession with the state’s support. Cuts like these would not only hurt the local governments but it will hurt the entire state of Illinois. By cutting the services that people rely on, we are only kicking the can down the road and creating new expenses for the state on the back end.”

For more information, contact Welch’s constituent service office at 708-450-1000, email repwelch@emanuelchriswelch.com or visit www.emanuelchriswelch.com, or Ford’s constituent service office at 773-378-5902, e-mail Ford at lkf@ilga.gov or visit www.lashawnford.com.