By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The voice of Illinois cities, towns, and villages at the statehouse again has a wish list for the General Assembly.

Unveiling “Moving Cities Forward,” Illinois Municipal League executive director Brad Cole, said downstate pension consolidation must be on the table.

“There needs to be property tax reform. We have said for years that if the state is serious about property tax reform, then the state has to get serious about pension reform,” Cole told a Capitol news conference. “The proposals that we have put forward on public safety pension reform would be a direct lead to property tax reform.”

Cole also again bemoaned the reduced share of the state income tax doled out to cities: the Local Government Distributive Fund, once ten percent, is now just over six percent.

Julie Moore Wolfe, the mayor of Decatur and the president of the IML, said one of the legacies of the pandemic must be made permanent.

“Local officials are only able to conduct remote meetings because of a statewide public health order,” said Wolfe. “We are calling on lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow local governments to host remote meetings without such an order.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].