Illinois Court Upholds Pritzker’s Tax Relief Pension Merger Law

Roughly 650 Illinois first responder pension plans must follow through with a statewide consolidation law aimed at lowering local property taxes that are ballooning because of pension liabilities, a state appeals court ruled.

The 2019 law requires consolidation of local fire and police pensions with two separate state boards. A three-judge Illinois Second District Appellate Court panel ruled Tuesday that the law didn’t violate state constitutional protections for plan beneficiaries despite a decrease in their voting power and the expense of transferring assets in the merger.

“Voting for the board members who deal with the funding of the pension fund ...