On July 1, 2017, both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly voted to override the Governor’s veto of House Bill 1811 , which...

The Civic Federation’s Annual Civic Awards Luncheon, now in its 35th year, recognizes civic leadership in Chicago. Named for the Federation’s founding members, the Lyman J. Gage Award and the Addams-Palmer Award recognize the outstanding civic contributions of Chicago individuals and...

As the State of Illinois approaches two full years without enacting a comprehensive state budget, local governments have been forced to make difficult financial decisions to continue operating during these uncertain times.

City Colleges of Chicago has received only a quarter of its...

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The Chicago Public Schools currently is controlled by the Mayor of Chicago, who appoints all members of the Board of Education. However, citizens,...

As part of the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) program, the Civic Federation hosted Nurul Komalasari as a fellow for the month of May, which was made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The exchanges are...

May 7-13, 2017 is Public Service Recognition Week, an initiative of the Public Employees Roundtable (PER), its member organizations and the Partnership for Public...

The Illinois Department of Revenue announced in April 2017 that the final equalization factor for the Cook County 2016 property assessment year (taxes payable in 2017) is 2.8032.

The 2016...

The Civic Federation co-hosted a conference with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on April 19, 2017 entitled, “Chicago’s Fiscal Future: Growth or Insolvency?” Experts, practitioners and academics from around the country gathered to discuss the best and worst case scenarios for Chicago’s...

While Illinois lawmakers remain gridlocked over a State budget plan, another area shows promise of compromise in Springfield: government consolidation. With over 6,900 local government units, Illinois has more units of...

On Friday March 24, 2017 Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed Senate Bill 2437, legislation that was intended to increase city funding to help...

The Civic Federation released its second report on unincorporated areas of Cook County in September 2016. The report makes recommendations to promote incorporation of unincorporated areas in Cook...

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) recently adopted its second amended budget of the 2017 fiscal year in an effort to balance its budget and close a $215.2 million hole before its fiscal year ends on June 30, 2017.

Chicago Public Schools adopted a $5.46 billion operating budget in August 2016...

The Cook County Circuit Court recently ruled that the City of Chicago cannot tax other tobacco products according to Illinois state law. The City’s home rule tax on these products was expected to bring in $6.0 million in revenue.

Other tobacco products (OTP) include the following non-...

The Cook County Board of Commissioners has reorganized its board meeting proceedings in an effort to streamline board meetings. Beginning in January 2017, the Consent Calendar portion of the meeting is now held on the second Tuesday of each month rather than the second Wednesday when County...

Each year the Civic Federation releases an Estimated Effective Property Tax Rates report for 28 selected municipalities in northeastern Illinois. The most recent...