Government Efficiency and Transparency

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Civic and Environmental Groups Unite to Save Forest Preserves -- New Report Documents Questionable Practices, Calls for Separate Governing Board

Two leading watchdog organizations began a campaign to remove the beleaguered Cook County Forest Preserves from the control of the Cook County Board of Commissioners today. The new report by the Civic Federation and Friends of the Forest…

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District FY2008 Tentative Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the MWRD's FY2008 Budget because it minimizes the burden on taxpayers and demonstrates sound financial planning techniques. The Civic Federation is concerned about the declining funded ratio of the MWRD…

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Cook County Bureau of Health Services Independent Board of Directors

The Civic Federation supports the work of the Cook County Bureau of Health Services Review Committee and the Task Force on Independent Governance of the Cook County Bureau of Health on establishing an independent governing board for the…

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Chicago Park District FY2008 Operating Budget Recommendations: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supported the Chicago Park District's FY2008 Budget because the District did not raise its property tax levy this year, and has continued to hold down operating costs through a combination of careful management…

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DuPage County FY2008 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports DuPage County's proposed FY2008 $420.4 million budget, which includes a 12.1% or $60.1 million decrease in spending over the previous year and calls for the elimination of 10% of the workforce or 241 full-time…

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Chicago Transit Authority FY2008 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the CTA's proposed $1.0 billion FY2008 budget because it makes the necessary fare and service changes to create a blanced budget for the coming fiscal year. The Federation calls on the General Assembly and…

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City of Chicago FY2008 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation opposes the City of Chicago's proposed $5.9 billion budget. The budget proposes an additional $266.6 million in new spending and includes a $108.0 million property tax increase, the largest in recent Chicago history.…

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Forest Preserve District of Cook County FY2008 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the Forest Preserve District's proposed $175.2 million budget because the District has issued a Capital Improvement Plan for the second consecutive year and made it available on its web site. The Federation…

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Cook County FY2008 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation opposes the Cook County FY2008 proposed budget. The $3.2 billion budget includes a 267% increase in the county sales tax, the addition of 1,130 new positions, and other tax hikes that could generate as much as $979.8…

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Chicago Public Schools FY2008 Recommended Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation gives qualified support to the Chicago Public Schools Recommended 5.8 billion dollar FY2008 operating budget. The District has made efforts to contain costs and improve budget transparency. However, the Civic…