CHICAGO (CBS) — Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he’s working hard to get state lawmakers to approve the pension deal that seems to have stalled in Springfield last week.
WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports some Illinois legislators seem reluctant to approve Mayor Emanuel’s pension bill because they don’t want to be seen as mandating a Chicago property tax increase, especially in an election year.
At an unrelated event on the West Side, the Mayor seemed to acknowledge that.
“My intention is never for them to deal with it, I know that is our responsibility. In the same way, it was our responsibility to work through labor and come to an agreement and a consensus of what was a balanced approach to solving a problem that for decades has been in the making,” said Emanuel.
But at City Hall where there have been no city property tax increases for years, there are some aldermen who also don’t want to shoulder the blame for one, but Mayor Emanuel says it is unacceptable to do nothing as that could mean crippled pension funds or massive layoffs or even bigger tax hikes.
Governor Pat Quinn is—right now—saying “no can do” to Mayor Emanuel’s pension reform plan, because of the property tax increase.
To say Governor Quinn doesn’t like the idea of raising Chicago property taxes to reduce the city’s pension debt would be putting it mildly.
“What I saw last week wasn’t a plan, it was a sketch. It was a sketch that would relegate property owners in Chicago, families and businesses, to a future of higher and higher property taxes. I don’t think that is a good way to go,” said Quinn.
But Mayor Emanuel says he is hoping to make enough changes to change the Governor’s mind.
“When we are done with the bill, I think he sees how important getting pension reform is to the 60,000 workers who require it,” said Emanuel.
The Mayor’s plan doesn’t include police and fire pensions and next year the state is mandating a $600 million payment to stabilize those funds.
