Itasca officials to lobby Springfield on LGDF funding and pension concerns

Village officials told trustees on May 6 they planned a one-day visit to Springfield to press the village’s legislative agenda, focusing on the local government distributive fund (LGDF) and pension reforms affecting police and fire costs.

Village Administrator Carrie Anne and Mayor Jeffrey Prine said they would meet legislators and agency staff to urge that LGDF allocations not be reduced and to seek restoration of the historical 10% share of income-tax distributions to municipalities. Carrie Anne said municipalities currently receive 'a little over 6%' of that income-tax pool and that restoring the 10% share is a priority; she added that municipalities have lost an estimated $10 million since 2011 as a group (as discussed in the meeting).

The other major legislative priority will be pension policy. Carrie Anne described municipal concern about proposals that could move police and fire employees from tier 2 back to tier 1 benefit levels; she said that would increase municipal pension funding burdens and raise long-term costs for hiring and retaining public-safety personnel. The village participates in the Pension Fairness Coalition and plans to emphasize safe-harbor compliance and affordability issues during meetings with legislators.

Officials said the trip was scheduled as a single-day drive down and that they would distribute briefing materials to trustees summarizing talking points on LGDF and pension issues. No formal board action was taken; the discussion was an informational update on lobby plans and priorities.