The new head of the Illinois Municipal League wants lawmakers to remain committed to a pension overhaul. Loves Park Mayor Darryl Lindberg was recently named president of the organization. Lindberg says the group has not put its support behind any one plan, but is paying attention to work being done by the bipartisan pension panel.
"At the point when we see the final product, the League will certainly look at that and decide whether to support it. The bottom line is if it is good for the communities, and a consensus, we really want that to be done because we recognize how important it is," Lindberg said.
In addition to retirement changes,the Municipal League wants lawmakers to consider a proposal that changes how income tax funds are distributed to Illinois communities. It would deposit local governments’ share of the revenue into a dedicated fund instead of the state's general fund. Lindberg says that would prevent the money from being used to pay for other state expenses. The measure received widespread support in the House in the spring,but was not called for a vote in the Senate.