Civic Federation Blog Archive: September 2009

09.30.09

Chicagoans, can you spare $10,037?

Data from the most recent audited financial statements of Illinois’ state and local government pension funds shows that the total unfunded liabilities for pensions supported by the taxes of Chicago residents reached $10,037 per capita for fiscal year 2008.

09.21.09

Chicago TIF Still Cloudy, Even Under Sunshine Ordinance

One of the Civic Federation’s ongoing concerns has been transparency in the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) by the City of Chicago and State of Illinois. Although the Civic Federation supports the use of TIF as municipal economic development tool, we believe that there is insufficient...

09.18.09

Comparing Property Tax Burdens Across Communities

This week the Civic Federation released its annual Effective Property Tax Rates report. The report highlights the fact that in 2007 property tax burdens for many Northeastern Illinois communities rose, while property tax rates in Chicago are still among the lowest in the area.

09.10.09

Civic Federation Supports Legislation to Reduce Cook County Veto Override Threshold

At a press conference on September 8, 2009, Illinois State Senator Dan Kotowski and Illinois State Representative Julie Hamos announced a renewed effort to lower the number of votes required to overturn a veto by the Cook County Board President. The legislators were joined by Civic Federation...

09.08.09

How Does the City of Chicago Spend Your Tax Dollars?

Did you ever wonder how your property tax dollars are spent by the City of Chicago? How many people work for the Department of Streets and Sanitation? How much those employees are paid? What kinds of taxes and fees the City levies and how much revenue it gets from each one?

09.02.09

Civic Federation Presents 2016 Olympic Bid Review Findings to Chicago City Council Finance Committee

The Civic Federation and our consultant L.E.K. Consulting testified yesterday before the Finance Committee of the Chicago City Council about our review of the financial aspects of the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid. The Federation delivered its full 90-page report and 22-page narrative summary to all...