Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – It was a show of mayors Wednesday afternoon at the Lincoln statue outside the Capitol.

They are urging the Illinois General Assembly to increase – not cut – the Local Government Distributive Fund, which at one time was ten percent of income tax revenues which returned to municipalities. In 2012, the state cut that ten percent to six percent, and now it’s still just 6.47 percent. Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget proposal would cut the rate to 6.23 percent but effectively keep the number of dollars flat at $2.3 billion.

To Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, it’s a pay cut. “A reduction in this fund isn’t just a line item,” said Johnson. “It represents a $12.7 million cut to Chicago and a combined $60 million to municipalities statewide.”

Broadview’s Katrina Thompson agrees. “This is a reduction in support for our communities,” she said. “You’re not just trimming government. You are stripping resources away from the very people we are elected to serve.

“For a small, non-home-rule community like Broadview, this is not sustainable.”

State Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Chicago Heights), a former mayor, proposes instead cutting an administrative fee at the Illinois Department of Revenue by two-thirds.