02.13.19
Click here to read this issue brief.
This annual brief...
The Civic Federation is a non-partisan government research organization working to maximize the quality and cost-effectiveness of government services in the Chicago region and State of Illinois.
Estimated Effective Property Tax Rates 2007-2016: Selected Municipalities in Northeastern Illinois
Click here to read the full report. Click here to read the press release for this analysis. AT A GLANCE This annual report compares estimated effective property tax rates in the six-...
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City of Chicago FY2019 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations
Click here to read the full report. The Civic Federation supports the City of Chicago’s proposed $8.9 billion FY2019 budget because it is a reasonable one-year financial plan that does not...
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Dec. 13, 2018: Jamie Rhee to Receive Motorola Solutions Foundation Excellence in Public Service Award
The Civic Federation is pleased to announce that Jamie Rhee, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation, will be the 2018 Motorola Solutions...
Learn MoreTweets by @CivicFederation
The Civic Federation
The unfunded liability of the State of Illinois’ five retirement systems totaled $133.7 billion at the end of FY201… https://t.co/xlHCtX4lXx
The Civic Federation
Blog tracks the two-year-long progress of the bill that would make it easier for the State of IL to sell the Thomps… https://t.co/Sssyvlv8Oe
Blogs
02.12.19
Nearly two years after it was filed in the Illinois General Assembly, a bill making it easier for the State to sell the James R. Thompson Center has finally landed on the Governor’s desk.
In the meantime, one session of the legislature has ended and a new one has begun. Governor Bruce...
02.08.19
During this decade of financial difficulties, the State of Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills has become an important indicator of its fiscal condition, relied on by policymakers, rating agencies, taxpayers and journalists. Now two different ways of measuring the backlog have begun to diverge....
02.01.19
The following blog post examines the possibility of the City of Chicago starting a public bank. It is intended for informational purposes only. The Civic Federation has not taken a position on the idea, which has been discussed during the run-up to the Chicago municipal election later this month...
01.23.19
Illinois’ large number of local government units – the largest in the United States at approximately 7,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau – is often cited as a reason for high property taxes in Illinois and has fueled calls for government consolidation and efficiencies. In February 2015...
In the News
01.25.19
Chicago Sun-Times
This article discussed Chicago Public Schools' $324 million surplus for fiscal year 2018, its first budget surplus in three years. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said that the surplus...
01.09.19
Crain's Chicago Business
This article covered the annual Effective Property Tax Rates report , which compared estimated...
12.31.18
The Bond Buyer
This article discussed the challenges municipalities across Illinois face in dealing with their growing pension obligations. The article offered a number of examples where the burden of pensions...
12.12.18
Chicago Tribune
This article covered Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's call for a constitutional amendment, $10 billion in pension obligation bonds and new revenue from legalizing and taxing marijuana and a Chicago...
Tweets by @CivicFederation
The unfunded liability of the State of Illinois’ five retirement systems totaled $133.7 billion at the end of FY201… https://t.co/xlHCtX4lXx
Blog tracks the two-year-long progress of the bill that would make it easier for the State of IL to sell the Thomps… https://t.co/Sssyvlv8Oe
RT @MarySueMPC: Our partners at @CivicFederation & #CivicCommittee have done a huge public service by recommending fiscal solutions… https://t.co/fAskcneeWX