What Must You Do Before The Election

By THOMAS G. FITZSIMMONS, Executive Director

Municipal officials of Illinois, the challenge of the future is before you today. On November 6, 1990 this great state will elect a Governor; a Governor who will assume an office after the state's longest sitting Governor in history, James R. Thompson. Every state representative and a large number of state senators are on the ballots throughout Illinois. The challenge of the future is to be heard by these candidates on our needs. Our needs as municipal officials are not self-centered. Those needs represent the closest elected officials to the taxpayer.

In this age of shifting the responsibility of services and programs to the local level one key ingredient is necessary . . . revenue. Every year the local municipal official has the tremendous obligation to balance a budget (something the federal government with its enormous resources cannot do). How can you meet the needs of your municipal citizens and continue to provide programs that Washington and Springfield mandate??

There is only one way you can meet the challenge of the future and provide for everyone's demands that are before you now and in the next decade. REVENUE ENHANCEMENT!!! The General Assembly and Governor Thompson with tremendous courage and foresight delivered additional revenue last year in the income tax surcharge. The new revenue was divided responsibly between two areas — education and municipal/county governments. Candidate Jim Edgar has supported an extension of the surcharge with education receiving additional dollars. At the League's Annual Conference, candidate Edgar also sounded willing to discuss the local government portion coupled with property tax relief.

WHAT MUST YOU DO BEFORE THE ELECTION? As municipal officials I am strongly encouraging you to work hard before the November 6 election to deliver your own message to all candidates seeking your support and asking for your vote. Remember, it is your taxpayers and municipal citizens that fund state and federal government.

The municipal message to deliver is to require a commitment for the local government income tax surcharge. Demand that local government receives the current formula of one half of the additional revenues. Explain how much revenue came to your municipality, how the money was spent (actually show them the projects if possible), explain to these candidates the future challenges your communities face, detail any property tax relief, both that which was lowered in levies and those dollars that were never levied and finally, remind them that you represent municipal citizen taxpayers, not another special interest group.

Now, with this great challenge before you the time is limited. Your immediate action is necessary to grasp this opportunity. If you successfully convince the candidates of the municipal need, the next legislative session will look good for the income tax surcharge revenues to be returned to your municipalities. If unsuccessful, you will be faced with the unpleasant role of taking apart rather than building for the future. I encourage you to use these few remaining days wisely and get the job done.

The task before you is great; the revenue you will need to face the next decade is even greater; the positive side is that Illinois local elected municipal officials are the greatest. •

Page 4 / Illinois Municipal Review / October 1990