The AFFI Legislative Committee has entered into talks with legislative leaders and Governor Quinn’s staff to head off a proposal to slash income tax receipts to local governments.

 

In his budget address March 10, Governor Quinn called for cuts of $300 million from the share of state income tax revenues earmarked for local governments. The AFFI will fight the governor’s efforts to reduce income tax receipts for local governments because any funding reductions will threaten public safety.

 

AFFI President Pat Devaney said withholding millions of dollars in income tax receipts would be “catastrophic and would result in firefighter layoffs in scores of communities all across Illinois.”

 

“We can appreciate the need for sacrifice in putting together a responsible budget for Illinois,” Devaney said, “but the operative word here is responsible. Fire and police departments are already making extraordinary sacrifices in order to protect the public from crime, fire and threats to public health.

 

“The governor’s call for a reduction of funding to our local governments is simply not acceptable.”

 

Devaney echoed budget experts who have warned that only new sources of revenues, coupled with measured funding reductions, can help balance the sate’s budget for fiscal 2011 and years ahead.

 

“New revenues are an absolute necessity,” Devaney said. “What makes the governor’s call for radical reduction in aid to local governments harder to accept is that it represents a reversal of a promise he made before the primary election.”