To the Editor:
The Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) serves as a financial foundation for cities, villages and towns across the state and is crucial to keeping local tax burdens as low as possible. When these dollars are reduced, local leaders are forced to make difficult decisions, which include cuts to critical services or increasing taxes and fees to ensure municipal budgets stay balanced.
We commend Governor JB Pritzker, legislative leaders and state lawmakers for not enacting further cuts to LGDF and increasing state and local revenues by adopting various changes to the state’s tax code.
Communities need this funding as we recover from the pandemic and economic collapse, due to public demand for even more community programs and services.
Going forward beyond this fiscal year, we urge the General Assembly to fully restore LGDF and end the harmful practice of imposing costly unfunded mandates.
Brad Cole, executive director of Illinois Municipal League