Illinois Municipal League

From Sunshine Review

Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

The Illinois Municipal League is a taxpayer-funded lobbying association in Illinois. It is represented by the National League of Cities.[1]

The corporate authorities of an Illinois municipality, whether the authority be the mayor and aldermen (or similar for cities), the president and trustees (or similar for villages or incorporated towns), or the council (for municipalities under a municipal government), may budget for and pay annual dues and fees in order to join the Illinois Municipal League.

The municipalities' representative members of the IML acting with the intention to improve local government may provide and disperse "information and research services, and may do all other acts." [2]

[edit] Opposition to FOIA improvements

The league came out in opposition to changes that would strengthen the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Senate Bill 189, sponsored by Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) and Speaker Michael J. Madigan (D-Chicago), would narrow and clarify personal privacy exemptions, require heightened scrutiny when public bodies seek to use the privacy or preliminary draft exemptions, limit copying charges, and require public bodies to produce records electronically. [3] Furthermore, changes would shorten the time that public entities have to respond to a request to five days, would fine any entity attempting to violate the act by $1000, and would require entities to appoint an official responsible for requests. [4]

Throughout the bill's drafting, the IML played an active role in requesting that changes be made to the proposed bill. On May 28, 2009, it testified before the Senate Executive Committee to voice its concerns. On the same day, both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly passed SB 189 and it is now awaiting Governor Quinn's signature. [5] Although legislators have made extensive changes to the initial bill, the IML still sees the adopted changes as overly burdensome and claims that they would leave organizations more vulnerable to identity theft. [4] Upon signing the bill, Governor Pat Quinn issued a signing statement recognizing the existence of problems with the new law and encouraging affected parties to work together to address these flaws by the January 1, 2010 implementation date.[6]

[edit] Lobbying

2003 In the midst of severe revenue shortage, the Illinois Municipal League successfully lobbied against a proposed budget cut tactic that would change the established 10% allotted to municipalities and counties to 1/11 or 1/12 of the total income tax revenue.[7] In 2007, the Illinois Municipal League published a study entitled "Fiscal Analysis of the Downstate Police, Fire and IMRF Pension Systems."[8] This study indicated that the financial health of over 600 non-Chicago municipal pension funds is endangered by rapidly escalating debt. As a result of this study, the Illinois Municipal League successfully advocated on behalf of House Bill 5088 during the 2008 legislative session.[9] This legislation contained several pension reforms, including significant ethics, disclosure, and transparency provisions for the employee-controlled municipal public safety pension funds. In 2009, the Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Bill 364, which imposed many of these same reforms on the other public pension funds in Illinois. The Illinois Municipal League continues to express concerns about existing public pension policies, particularly the ability of the General Assembly to increase municipal employee pension benefits without providing the funds to pay for the increases.[10] The most recent example of this is the passage of House Bill 3606 in the spring of 2009. This legislation increases the pension benefits of municipal employees that retired prior to July 1, 1977.[11]

[edit] Vincent R. Williams and Associates

The Illinois Municipal League has been represented by the lobbying firm Vincent R. Williams and Associates, for 2008-2009.[12] [13] The firm also represents Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago Public Schools. [12] [13]

The firm lists on its registration documents that it lobbies to more than 50 state agencies in the past two years, including: [12] [13]

  • Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
  • Gaming Board
  • General Assembly Members
  • Governor's Office
  • Healthcare and Family Services
  • Department of Human Services
  • Illinois Development Finance Authority
  • Illinois Educational Facilities Authority
  • Illinois Housing Development Authority
  • Department of Labor
  • Department of Public Health
  • Racing Board
  • Department of Revenue
  • Secretary of State
  • State Board of Education
  • State/Local Labor Relations Boards
  • Toll Highway Authority
  • Department of Transportation
  • Treasurer
  • Department of Veterans Affairs

[edit] Officers of the Illinois Municipal League

The Board of Directors is composed of mayors and village presidents of local Illinois municipalities. The following is a list of 2009 Board Members: [14]

President: Mayor Gary L. Graham, O'Fallon

First Vice President: Mayor Timothy J. Davlin, Springfield

Sergeant-At-Arms: Mayor Gail Mitchell, Fairview Heights

Executive Director: Larry G. Frang

Vice Presidents:

[edit] Membership Dues

To be a member of the Illinois Municipal League, Illinois municipalities must pay yearly dues based on population size. [15]

Population Size Dues
< 1,000 $130.00
1,000 - 15,000 $130.00 - $1,107.00
15,000 - 30,000 $1,107.00 - $1,660.00
30,000 - 45,000 $1,660.00 - $2,214.00
45,000 - 60,000 $2,214.00 - $2,766.00
60,000 - 75,000 $2,766.00 - $3,318.00
75,000 - 90,000 $3,318.00 - $3,874.00
90,000 - 105,000 $3,874.00 - $4,426.00
105,000 - 120,000 $4,426.00 - $4,978.00
120,000 - 135,000 $4,978.00 - $5,533.00
135,000 - 150,000 $5,533.00 - $ 6,085.00
150,000 - 160,000 $6,085.00 - $6,455.00
> 576,001 $22,355.00

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ National League of Cities - State Municipal Leagues
  2. ↑ Illinois statute, Membership in Illinois Municipal League
  3. ↑ "Transparency legislation will reform open government laws in Illinois"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Northwest Herald, "New FOIA finds local supporters", March 11, 2009
  5. ↑ "IML Analysis of New FOIA Legislation"
  6. ↑ Illinois Municipal League, Governor Signs FOIA Bill
  7. ↑ Local Governments Lose Photo processing Tax Revenue
  8. ↑ [Illinois Municipal League, Fiscal Analysis of the Downstate Police, Fire and IMRF Pension Systems, 2007
  9. ↑ House Bill 5088 language
  10. ↑ Senate Bill 364 language
  11. ↑ Illinois House Bill 3606
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 2008 Client Entity List
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 2009 Client Entity List
  14. ↑ "From the Editor's Desk", Illinois Municipal Review, May 2009
  15. ↑ Illinois Municipal League 2009 Dues
v • d • e
Illinois taxpayer-funded lobbying associations
v • d • e
Lists of taxpayer-funded lobbying associations
By type

National organizations
Cities • Counties • Schools • Police • Universities

By state

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming •

Retrieved from "http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Illinois_Municipal_League"