Southwest suburban Cook County voters to take up pension reform, key state issues
Voters in Lemont Township are taking up the pension crisis, gerrymandering and unfunded mandates. The township voted to put three questions on the April 1 ballot to let state leaders know they expect progress on the issues.
Lemont Township voters will have a chance to voice their opinions on three major issues. Their April 1 ballots will ask about pensions, political redistricting and unfunded mandates.
Lemont Township has about 22,000 residents, including the village of Lemont, and is bordered by the Des Plaines River and Interstate 355 in southwest Cook County. Voters will have a chance to share opinions on three advisory questions:
Pensions: “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?”
Redistricting: “Should the state of Illinois create an independent citizens commission to draw fair and competitive federal and state redistricting maps, rather than allowing lawmakers to decide?”
Unfunded mandates: “Should the state of Illinois be allowed to force unfunded mandates on local governments who may raise property taxes to cover the costs of those mandates?”
Other townships such as Homer, Winfield and Leyden have all given their voters a chance to vote on at least one of the questions for the April 1 election. The questions are non-binding, meaning they won’t directly change any laws but they will tell state lawmakers where their constituents stand on the issues.
Barrington Township gave voters the question on pension reform Nov. 5, which passed with more than 70% voting yes.
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.
The more chances for voters to voice their concerns on these issues, the stronger the message it sends to state lawmakers who currently refuse to address these pressing issues.