City of Chicago

.

Divided Waters: Addressing the Fragmentation of Water Governance in Northeastern Illinois

Click here to read the full report

.

Local Pension Dashboard

The Civic Federation’s Local Pension Dashboard is intended for use as a resource and educational tool to increase the accessibility of local pension fund data. The dashboard reports metrics for the ten major local pension funds within the…

.

Mayor’s Budget Working Group Report: The Start of a Long Overdue Conversation

Read the Civic Federation's statement on the Budget Working Group's Report here.The City of Chicago faces one of its largest…

.

Setting the Record Straight: How Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Actually Interacts with the Chicago Public Schools

by Daniel VeseckyTax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts are a complex, often misunderstood part of Chicago’s tax structure. TIF Districts segment and dedicate a portion of property tax collections within a designated geographic area to…

.

What is a City Charter, and How Could Having One Help Chicago?

by Grant McClintockChicago is the only major city in the United States that operates without a constitution, which for cities is referred to as a charter. Chicago’s outlier status in how it governs itself is reflected in structural…

.

Pension change boon to Chicago police officers, firefighters, but additional hit to taxpayers

by A.D. Quig, Olivia Olander, and Jeremy…

.

Chicago’s Dire Finances Hold It Back in Competition Among Cities

by Shruti SinghJune 5, 2025

.

Chicago’s FY2025 Enacted Budget Remains Structurally Imbalanced

By Grant McClintockFollowing a lengthy political debate, Chicago’s FY2025 enacted budget managed to technically fill a nearly $1 billion projected budget gap. However, as the Civic Federation noted in its…

.

Civic Federation, Better Government Association, and Center for Tax and Budget Accountability Statement on Budget Transparency Ordinance

 Chicago’s city council is set to vote on a package of ordinances setting the municipal budget for 2025. A late start, the mayor’s failure to provide detailed information requested by alderpeople, and a unanimous city council…

.

Civic Federation Releases Reports on Cook County, City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois' Finances

The non-partisan organization recently published analyses and informational reports on the finances of local governments and the impact on their taxpayers. CHICAGO – The Civic Federation released six reports in October and November,…