As the Gov. Bruce Rauner takes steps to cut state spending, local village governments want him to think about the impact it may have on them.
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On March 16, the Elmwood Park Village Board approved a resolution urging Rauner and lawmakers to protect the full funding of Local Government Distributive Fund revenues, of which Rauner proposed a 50 percent reduction during his recent budget address.
Elmwood Park Village Manager Paul Volpe said other villages are following suit to relay their concern to Springfield because of the potential negative impact.
Volpe said that if Rauner gets his way, it could reduce the amount of money their village receives from the fund by $1.1 million.
“That would be a significant impact on any municipality’s budget, including Elmwood Park,” he said. “We hope the governor will rethink that when balancing the budget. It would be both unfair and have a significant impact if the state moves forward with that.”
Frank Calistro, comptroller for Village of River Grove, said Rauner’s cuts would create a $500,000 deficit for the village.
“When you run a tight budget, $500,000 is a lot of money,” he said. “It pays for things like police [and] public works, and we are running pretty tight as it is.”
He, along with River Grove Mayor Marilynn May, recently attended a senate advisory hearing on the issue in Chicago, along with other area mayors. Calistro said all those in attendance shared the same sentiment.
“It’s going to have a big effect on every town,” he said. “I don’t know how much we can cut out. We don’t have many places we can cut.”
He said if the cuts are approved, the village would do what they have to do to make ends meet.
“We’ll have to be creative if it comes to pass,” he said.