SouthCom Federal Agenda

The Village of Park Forest engages in state and federal lobbying efforts. Last week Mayor-Elect Joseph Woods and Village Manager Tom Mick joined other municipal leaders from the southland in attending the Illinois Municipal League’s annual legislative lobby day. As part of the day, Village Officials heard presentations from Governor JB Pritzker, Speaker Chris Welch, Senate President Don Harmon, Senate Republican Leader John Curran, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulius, and House Republican Leader Tony McCombie. 

A major focal point in lobbying efforts in Springfield was the topic of the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF). More information on the LGDF and why it is important to municipalities can be found here. Village Officials are seeking a full restoration of the LGDF to 10%. What does this mean for Park Forest? Increasing to a 10% LGDF allocation would result in the Village’s FY 22/23 income tax revenue going from $3,508,306 to $5,695,302. That is an increase of $2,186,996, which is 11.5% of the tax levy.

Village leaders will be meeting in Washington, DC, with federal legislators and agencies. Talking points and important initiatives for Park Forest can be found here. Park Forest leadership has engaged federal legislators and agencies every year since 2006. After a period of remote gatherings due to the global pandemic, this year marks a return to in-person meetings on Capitol Hill. These lobbying efforts have resulted in numerous benefits to Park Forest. A recent example was US Army Corps of Engineers funding which helped replace nearly 1.5 miles of water main along Dogwood Street.