Teen Resident Speaks Out Against State Plan to Withhold Local Funds

Earlier this month, Montgomery Village President Marilyn Michelini put out a call for residents to contact state lawmakers and plead with them to pay local municipalities all the money they’re owed.

Fourteen-year-old Mark Biegalski was listening.

Biegalski, a Yorkville Middle School student and a member of Bristol Boy Scout Troop 34, is trying to get his Citizenship in the Community merit badge. One of the requirements, according to his mother Louise, is to write a letter to a government official about a particular issue.

And when Biegalski read about the to withhold millions in local government distributive funds (LGDF) in order to pay its bills, he knew he’d found his issue.

LGDF funds are local governments’ share of state sales, income and other taxes. Municipalities rely on them to meet their expenses. Gov. Pat Quinn has suggested keeping roughly $100 million of those funds in the state coffers this year if lawmakers do not allow him to borrow billions to pay the state's bills.

This move, according to Michelini, could mean that about $400,000 would not make its way to Montgomery.

Michelini has been working with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and the MetroWest Council of Government to fight this plan, which she said would be a “fiasco” for local governments across the state. And she’s asked residents to pick up the phone and tell state lawmakers how they feel.

Mark Biegalski said he plans to do just that. He wrote Michelini a letter of support, he said, after reading about the issue in the . Michelini read the letter at Monday’s village board meeting. (The letter is reproduced in full below.)

Biegalski attended the meeting, and said afterward that although this was his first foray into local politics, he may be interested enough to keep coming back, and getting involved in village issues.

Michelini said the village likely would not know the state’s plan until at least May 31. Finance Director Jeff Zoephel said he is holding off on some of the approved purchases in the 2012 budget, such as a new SUV for the police department and new computers for village departments, until he better knows the funding situation.

Michelini said she is glad to see young people voicing their opinions.

“Thank you for your participation, Mark, and thank you for being here and sharing your thoughts this evening,” she said during the meeting.

 Here is Mark Biegalski’s letter to Marilyn Michelini:

Dear Village President Michelini,

My name is Mark Biegalski and I am 14 years old and a Boy Scout with Bristol Troop 34. I am also a resident of Montgomery for these past eight years.

I am writing this letter to you after reading the article in last Thursday’s Ledger-Sentinel where you are encouraging board members and village residents to contact their local representatives and urge them to continue the full local government distributive funds (LGDF) payments to the village.

I feel strongly that if many of Montgomery’s residents were to contact the representatives, there would be a greater chance to have these funds come to our village. Having these funds so we can purchase a vehicle for the police department and some computer software for the community development department seems to be an important need for our community.

I would like to tell you that I plan on contacting our representatives and let them know that I feel it is very important to continue with the funding and not cut them.

Thank you for all that you do for our village and community.

Sincerely,

Mark Biegalski