Suburban Chicago voters to tell state leaders about pension reform need

Winfield Township voters will have a chance to impact Illinois’ pension crisis in the April 1 election. They won’t directly change any laws, but voters can send a strong signal to state lawmakers about pensions causing Illinois’ property tax pain.

Winfield Township voters have a chance to take up Illinois’ pension crisis with state lawmakers. The township put a question for voters about pension reform on the April 1 ballot.

Winfield Township, one of nine townships in DuPage County, has about 46,000 residents and includes parts of Winfield, Warrenville and West Chicago. The advisory question for those voters will read as follows:

“Should the state of Illinois enact constitutional pension reform to protect workers’ existing retirements and generate savings which could provide property tax relief or be reinvested in the community?”

The question is non-binding, meaning it won’t directly change any laws, but it will send a message to lawmakers. The more governments that pass pension reform questions, the stronger the message.

Barrington Township gave voters the same question in November which passed with 73% voting “yes.” Illinois Policy Institute polling from 2023 found a majority of Illinois voters support amending the constitution to control the growth of public pension plans.

Homer Township in Will County is also offering voters a chance April 1 to let their voices be heard on the pension crisis as well as redistricting and unfunded state mandates.

Illinois has the worst pension crisis in the nation at $143.7 billion in debt, with only 46% of the funds that will eventually be needed to pay for state worker retirements. Add to that another $70 billion in local government pension debt, which drives Illinois’ property tax pain to second-highest in the nation.