Gov. Rauner lays out terms for temporary budget: Property tax freeze, term limits
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders are set to resume budget talks again Thursday morning as a stopgap spending plan is set to expire at year's end, and the governor is laying out his terms before the meeting even begins.
Facing continued resistance from Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan over a push for a comprehensive budget agreement that also includes economic reforms, Rauner released a video on Facebook overnight saying he's open to another temporary spending plan but with two conditions.
Rauner wants Democrats to agree to put a term limit constitutional amendment before voters on the 2018 ballot and to a permanent property tax freeze, ideas he's long pushed as part of a larger deal with little success. The effort represents an about-face from last month, when Rauner said he would no longer go along with stopgap budgets, but the strategy also allows Rauner to appear flexible in the face of the state's grave financial challenges.
"These reforms would let job creators know it is a new day in Illinois, and that long term we'll be a better place to invest," Rauner said. "We are at a key turning point in Illinois' history."
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rauner-lays-out-terms-for-temporary-budget-property-tax-freeze-term-limits-20161130-story.html