State Legislators Meet for Round Table in Naperville

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On Saturday morning, the Naperville Area Homeowner’s Confederation brought several state legislators to town for a round table discussion.

The group was made up of state senators Linda Holmes, Michael Connelly, John Curran, and state representatives Grant Wehrli, Stephanie Kifowit, David Olsen, and Jeanne Ives.

They first answered a prepared question about disparity in school funding between Chicago Public Schools and the rest of the state.

According to State Senator Connelly, some “tax increment financing” areas, or TIF districts, in Chicago aren’t paying their fair share of property taxes.

“The property value of all TIFs must be included,” said Illinois State Senator Michael Connelly, who represents the 21st District. “Chicago Public Schools would become a tier 2 school district, and the biggest beneficiary would be District 204, who is in a horrible spot. They’re a tier 2 school and will likely not see an additional dime of school funding going forward.”

They also discussed the population drop that Illinois is seeing, and took questions from the audience.

Some common themes were the desire to bring economic growth to the state and make policy-over-party decisions.

“We always took great pride in the fact that we’re representing people together and were able to come together and do what’s in the best interest of our constituents,” said Illinois State Senator Linda Holmes, who represents the 42nd District. “Let’s stop playing politics, and worry about creating good policy that benefits the people of Illinois.”

The Naperville Area Homeowner’s Confederation holds one of these round tables every year.

Naperville News 17’s Blane Erwin reports.