The Illinois Department of Revenue recently announced that the final equalization factor for the Cook County 2018 property assessment year (taxes payable in 2019) is...

During Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s first City Council meeting on May 29, 2019, new City Council Rules and Procedures were adopted by the Council. Also introduced was an...

The following blog post discusses how the City of Chicago has used surplus revenue in its tax increment financing (TIF) districts since 2013.

TIF is a powerful...

After several years of study and discussions, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) approved an intergovernmental agreement with Cook County for the MWRD to share services of the Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General. The intergovernmental...

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Civic Federation co-hosted a sold-out conference earlier this month on the timely topic of infrastructure spending in Illinois. Speakers from around the country discussed best practices in infrastructure planning and possible funding sources as...

The following blog post examines the possibility of the City of Chicago instituting a city income tax. The idea was discussed by several mayoral and aldermanic candidates in the recent Chicago 2019 municipal election.

This blog post is intended for informational purposes only. The Civic...

Last week, the Civic Federation wrote about the Chicago City Council’s recent approval of a resolution to begin livestreaming committee meetings in...

On March 13, 2019 the Chicago City Council voted to approve Substitute Resolution 2018-1151 . The Resolution amends Rules 49 and 55...

In a series of...

The following blog post explores the idea of a downtown congestion fee and the factors that would need to be considered if Chicago were to impose such a fee. The Civic Federation does not take a position on any type of congestion pricing or whether it should be implemented in Chicago. This blog...

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...

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...

The Civic Federation recently released its annual Effective Property Tax Rates report , which examines two- and ten-year trends in estimated effective tax rates for residential, commercial and...

Update: Collection of the City of Chicago’s tax on other tobacco products has been moved from a starting date of March 1, 2019 to no sooner than April 1, 2019 or 60 days following the plaintiff’s deadline to file an appeal, according to the City of Chicago’s Office of Budget and Management....

The following are the five most read posts presented by the Civic Federation blog in 2018 in chronological order. The posts examine issues related to property taxes, Chicago Public Schools and jail population data.

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