SSMMA, working in partnership with other Councils of Governments, is working to inform legislators that the state should not dismantle municipal pension protections that leave taxpayers with the bill. As Illinois General Assembly members consider legislative proposals this veto session and during the upcoming 2026 spring session, municipal leaders across the state urge lawmakers to reject proposals that would expand municipal pension benefits and reverse years of progress toward financial stability.
Proposed pension enhancements would permanently increase costs for taxpayers, forcing local governments to raise property taxes or cut essential services. With the rising costs of housing, energy, insurance, and groceries already straining household budgets, Illinois residents simply cannot afford higher property taxes to fund new pension mandates.
Municipal pension enhancements are a bad idea because:
- Enhancements will have a negative impact on taxpayers.
- Municipalities already provide municipal employees with a generous, stable and constitutionally protected retirement.
- Municipal pensions satisfy all federal requirements.
Current reforms are working. While pension contributions continue to rise faster than inflation, the reforms enacted after the Great Recession have saved—and will continue to save—taxpayers millions of dollars each year. Undoing these sensible measures would put communities back on a path toward financial crisis.
Illinois’ municipal employees already receive strong, guaranteed pensions that far exceed the retirement security most private-sector workers can expect. These benefits are constitutionally protected and already provide financial security for retirees without further expansion.
Read the recent letter from SSMMA and other Councils of Government to the Illinois General Assembly letting them know that Illinois residents cannot afford higher property taxes to support unnessary changes to municipal benefit levels. Stay informed by visiting www.investincommunities.org.
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