State Senator Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett) and State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro (R-Hanover Park) met with mayors from the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference (DMMC) on Thursday to discuss pending legislation impacting suburban communities.
Many of the attending mayors expressed concerns stemming from Governor Pritzker’s Building Up Illinois Developments (BUILD) Plan, which severely handicaps local control over important zoning issues, and his ongoing cuts to the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF).
Senator Lewis has frequently voiced his support for local governments and opposes efforts to limit local control. “LGDF funds are used by municipalities to fund essential services, yet these vital funds are constantly under attack,” he said. “Similarly, the BUILD Act would take local control away from our leaders. It would extend failed policies from Chicago statewide, and I don’t think anyone wants Brandon Johnson to have control over our cities and villages. We need to allow our local officials to have local control to decide what the residents need and want in their communities.”
Representative Sanalitro said, “This is about keeping our promise to taxpayers and making sure communities have the resources they need for public safety, road repairs, and other essential services. When Springfield shortchanges local governments, families feel it first through higher property taxes and fewer services, and that is simply unacceptable.”
In addition to local control issues, the group also discussed pending legislation that would increase pension obligations and issues related to public transit.
Winfield Mayor Carl Sorgatz attended the hearing and expressed his strong opposition to the BUILD Act and the amount of local control it would take away from local units of government. “Today, residents have the opportunity on the local level to share exactly what their feelings are about legislation or ordinances that are put in place,” he said. “The BUILD Act would take that out of their hands and basically take away people’s ability to have a say in their own communities.”
Hanover Park Mayor Rodney Craig also pointed to the dangers of Governor Pritzker’s BUILD Act proposal, and said, “We are serious about these issues and I haven’t felt this level of stress during my 19 years in office. These bills that are coming down have a tremendous impact on our housing and taxes. We haven’t raised taxes in 10 years and we are on the cusp of doing just that if some of these measures go through.”