Politics & Government

Evanston to Residents: Ask Legislators to Stop Cuts to Local Funding

City officials say diverting funds from local governments could leave Evanston with "daunting decisions affecting the whole community."

 

The City of Evanston is urging residents to ask legislators to stop cuts to local funding, such as the Local government Distributive Fund (LGDF), which funds a variety of programs throughout Evanston and would represent a $450,000 to $860,000 hit to the city budget, according to a press release. 

“Reductions of the Local Government Distributive Fund from Springfield will cut right down to the bone,” Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl said in a statement. “ It will effect city services or force a property tax increase.” 

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Municipalities are due, by law, a variety of state-collected local government revenues, including the LGDF, state income tax, motor fuel taxes, sales taxes and personal property replacement taxes, according to the press release. The state of Illinois serves as the vehicle to collect and distribute these monies, but they are revenue generated by and owed to local governments, according to the press release. 

City officials say cutting state-collected local government revenues could equate to loss of jobs, programs and reduced services. 

Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Legislators Contact

To find your elected officials, visit: CookCountyClerk.com 

Here are some points to discuss from the city:

  • Like Illinois families, cities and villages have been making significant sacrifices and cutting back during these tough economic times, slashing programs, curbing constituent services, delaying projects and laying off workers, including police and firefighters. 
  • The City of Evanston has reduced budget expenditures by millions over the past years. 
  • Municipalities have already shared sacrificially when the increased income tax rates provided no new money. 
  • Municipalities offer police and fire protection, pave local roads, provide water and sewer services to businesses and residents. If the state of Illinois cuts any local revenues, like the LGDF, it could represent a huge property tax increase and/or a cut to these core services like police and fire protection.


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