Local

Illinois Coalition of Local Governments Salutes Rep. DeLuca on Local Government Finance Control


House Bill 2717

CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)—May 1, 2017. Local governments around Illinois are thanking Rep. Anthony DeLuca today for helping advance a plan aimed at keeping critical revenue and budget decisions local.

DeLuca is chairman of the House Cities and Villages Committee, which today held a joint legislative hearing in Chicago with the House Revenue and Finance Committee on House Bill 2717.

House Bill 2717 calls for municipalities around Illinois to be able to work with outside professional consultants to review their tax collections and identify areas where they can improve those collections, such as by tracking and recouping sales, utility and other taxes and fees that now those municipalities are not collecting.

The bill would end hostile actions by the Illinois Department of Revenue that attempts to stop local communities from working with theses consultants just as they would to maximize taxpayer dollars through outside legal counsel, auditors, and accountants.

Committee members heard testimony from several taxpayers who support the legislation based on their very positive experiences working with those professional consultants – who have found the communities hundreds of thousands of dollars and even millions of dollars in “lost” tax revenue that was owed the local governments but not being collected.

Leadership with the Illinois Coalition of Local Governments, formed to help local government support House Bill 2717 and other legislation key to restoring local control for municipalities and counties, credited Rep. DeLuca and his colleagues for taking time to consider the legislation.

“As Springfield struggles to manage its finances and give taxpayers value for their investment, local governments now more than ever need ways to make sure every local dollar in taxes can be put toward vital services and programs,” the ICLG said in a statement after the hearing.  “House Bill 2717 sends the important message to local governments that they best know how to put their budgets together and serve their taxpayers.  We want to thank Rep. DeLuca for giving us a forum sowing the support for restoring the local control for our communities.”

Source: Rep. Anthony DeLuca’s Office


ARCHIVES