Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed state budget for the upcoming fiscal year would cut Flossmoor’s municipal revenues by $468,000.
During his Wednesday budget address at the Illinois Capitol, Rauner said he planned to cut the Local Government Distributive Fund (LDGF) by 50 percent for the 2015-16 fiscal year. The LGDF comes from state income taxes and has been shared with municipalities for decades.
Flossmoor Village Manager Bridget Wachtel said $468,000 represents about 5 percent of the village’s general fund, which supports municipal operations that include police, fire and a number of public works activities.
Wachtel said Flossmoor’s projected numbers are based on the 2015-16 budget proposal, to be presented to the village board in the next few weeks. The new fiscal year goes into effect July 1.
Mayor Paul Braun said he looks upon Rauner’s budget proposal as the new governor’s wish list.
“In reality, there will be a negotiating process with the Legislature,” Braun said. “In the end, the Legislature will have to approve the state’s budget. My personal opinion is that the legislators will not approve a 50 percent cut in the LGDF. It would not surprise me if there is some cut but it will not be that high.”
In his budget address, Rauner said municipalities across Illinois had $15 billion in reserves and could afford the LDGF cuts. Since the address, mayors across Illinois, including Chicago’s Rahm Emmanuel, have reacted angrily to the proposed cuts, saying no such mountain of reserves exists.
“I don’t know how he (Rauner) got those numbers,” Braun said.
Flossmoor and other area communities are working with the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association to make sure local legislators know that the municipal funding cuts would hurt towns in our areas, Braun said.
“For now, we need to sit tight and see what happens,” he said.
