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City officials are criticizing Gov. Pat Quinn’s recently proposed budget cuts, which could mean a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in income tax revenue each for Geneva and Batavia.
It will mean a loss of about $550,000 in funding for Geneva, according to City Administrator Mary McKittrick.
“This has been season of half-baked and half-cocked ideas,” Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns said.
He believes local legislators and voters should work to block the proposed cut in funding.
Burns and Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke are members of the Metropolitan Mayors’ Caucus, which met this week to discuss their plan of action.
“Each and every year, the state legislator is blamed for trying to balance the state budget on the shoulders of municipal budgets,” Burns said. “They’re looking on us to bail them out. We’ve done our job to balance. For some reason, the state can’t do the same.”
Making matters worse for Geneva is that the city is still bounded by a tax cap because it is not a home-rule community. City officials do not have the option of raising property taxes to plug holes in the budget.
“It makes it more challenging, but I think the real message is we live within our means,” Burns said.
If the funding is lost, Burns said city officials will have no choice but to “amputate” aspects of the budget.
“There’s no telling what will happen with respect to personnel, services and programs,” Burns said.
Schielke said the cuts would further reduce the city’s budget, which is already tight given the economy and looming bills from Springfield that would mean even more loss of funding.
“For Batavia, it’s really almost like a triple whammy,” Schielke said.
If Quinn’s plan is passed, it would mean a loss of about $628,000 in income tax revenue for Batavia.
“It’s hard to keep your head out of water and maintain services the way we are,” Schielke said.
And while Batavia is a home-rule community, Schielke said they have never taken advantage of the option to raise taxes.
“We’re not looking to raise property taxes ... in reaction to this,” Schielke said.
Yet, he said recent budget constraints have meant many projects get put on hold, and the city has started charging user fees, such as $3 a month for brush and leaf pickup.
The mayors are joined by the Metro West Council of Governments, which represents municipalities in Kane, DeKalb and Kendall counties, in their opposition to the proposed cut.
The group’s Executive Director Mary Randle said they have a lobbyist in Springfield.
“This will be a major focus for some time here,” Randle said. “We certainly hope this will not happen, but we understand the state is under tremendous financial pressure.”
However, Randle said municipalities already are “cut to the bone.”
“We’re hoping they will change their minds on this particular part of the budget,” Randle said.
City officials are criticizing Gov. Pat Quinn’s recently proposed budget cuts, which could mean a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in income tax revenue each for Geneva and Batavia.
It will mean a loss of about $550,000 in funding for Geneva, according to City Administrator Mary McKittrick.
“This has been season of half-baked and half-cocked ideas,” Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns said.
He believes local legislators and voters should work to block the proposed cut in funding.
Burns and Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke are members of the Metropolitan Mayors’ Caucus, which met this week to discuss their plan of action.
“Each and every year, the state legislator is blamed for trying to balance the state budget on the shoulders of municipal budgets,” Burns said. “They’re looking on us to bail them out. We’ve done our job to balance. For some reason, the state can’t do the same.”
Making matters worse for Geneva is that the city is still bounded by a tax cap because it is not a home-rule community. City officials do not have the option of raising property taxes to plug holes in the budget.
“It makes it more challenging, but I think the real message is we live within our means,” Burns said.
If the funding is lost, Burns said city officials will have no choice but to “amputate” aspects of the budget.
“There’s no telling what will happen with respect to personnel, services and programs,” Burns said.
Schielke said the cuts would further reduce the city’s budget, which is already tight given the economy and looming bills from Springfield that would mean even more loss of funding.
“For Batavia, it’s really almost like a triple whammy,” Schielke said.
If Quinn’s plan is passed, it would mean a loss of about $628,000 in income tax revenue for Batavia.
“It’s hard to keep your head out of water and maintain services the way we are,” Schielke said.
And while Batavia is a home-rule community, Schielke said they have never taken advantage of the option to raise taxes.
“We’re not looking to raise property taxes ... in reaction to this,” Schielke said.
Yet, he said recent budget constraints have meant many projects get put on hold, and the city has started charging user fees, such as $3 a month for brush and leaf pickup.
The mayors are joined by the Metro West Council of Governments, which represents municipalities in Kane, DeKalb and Kendall counties, in their opposition to the proposed cut.
The group’s Executive Director Mary Randle said they have a lobbyist in Springfield.
“This will be a major focus for some time here,” Randle said. “We certainly hope this will not happen, but we understand the state is under tremendous financial pressure.”
However, Randle said municipalities already are “cut to the bone.”
“We’re hoping they will change their minds on this particular part of the budget,” Randle said.
