The Civic Federation, in partnership with the Union League Club of Chicago, co-hosted a panel featuring candidates for Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County on February 21, 2020. The Civic Federation thanks the four Democratic candidates for their participation in the event:

Richard...

In December the Civic Federation explored how Illinois, its local governments and other states tax recreational cannabis. In this post we will look at how those cannabis tax revenues...

In the November 2020 general election, Cook County voters will elect a new Circuit Court Clerk for the first time since 2000, with current Clerk Dorothy Brown opting not to run for reelection. Four Democratic candidates and one Republican candidate have...

The Civic Federation recently released its annual Effective Property Tax Rates report . The report highlights that in 2017 property tax burdens for many...

On December 19, 2019 the Illinois Supreme Court struck down the City of Chicago’s ordinance imposing a tax on other tobacco products. The Supreme Court sided with the plaintiff that the City’s...

Annually the Civic Federation releases a report on consumer taxes in the City of Chicago. Consumer taxes are tied to the use or consumption of certain goods and services that can be charged directly to consumers through retail transactions or passed onto consumers by businesses or governments....

The Civic Federation’s blog turned 10 years old in 2019. The following are summaries of the five most read posts presented on the Civic Federation’s blog throughout the decade in chronological order....

The following are summaries of the five most read posts presented on the Civic Federation’s blog in 2019 in chronological order. The posts examine issues related to local taxes—including property taxes—and the State of Illinois’ budget....

On December 5, 2019, the Motorola Solutions Foundation and the Civic Federation honored the outstanding public service of Dorval R. Carter, Jr., President of the Chicago Transit Authority. The annual Motorola Solutions Foundation Excellence in Public Service Award, presented and administered by...

The Chicago Board of Education adopted an amended budget for the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) 2020 fiscal year on November 20, 2019 to account for changes reflected in the collective bargaining agreements reached between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and the Service...

Now that the Cook County Forest Preserve District’s $124.7 million budget has been approved without the help of a referendum to increase property tax revenue , Forest Preserve...

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has historically received a reduced fare reimbursement, or subsidy, from the State of Illinois for providing free and discounted rides to eligible riders including seniors, people with disabilities, military and students. The CTA provides nearly 100 million...

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

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

Since the beginning of FY2009, the Cook County Pension Fund has seen an increase in its liabilities not covered by assets, or the unfunded liability, of nearly $3.8 billion. The increase is attributable to a number of factors and has fluctuated over the years.

The following table...