City of Chicago

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Expiring Parking Meter and Skyway Funds

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City of Chicago Budget Continues Structural Deficit Tradition

Today the Civic Federation released its analysis of the City of Chicago’s proposed FY2011 budget of nearly $6.…

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City of Chicago FY2011 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation opposes the proposed FY2011 City of Chicago budget of nearly $6.2 billion because it does not effectively address the structural deficit and relies too heavily on asset lease reserve funds and debt restructuring to…

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Funding Cliffs in Municipal Budgets

The Civic Federation often voices concerns when governments use one-time or nonrecurring revenue sources for ongoing expenses. There are a number of reasons this can be problematic. By definition such revenue sources will not be…

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Letter to the Editor of the Chicago Tribune

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Effective Property Tax Rates 1999-2008: Selected Municipalities in Northeastern Illinois

This report compares effective property tax rates in selected communities around metropolitan Chicago and finds that while all communities’ effective tax rates increased in 2008, rates have mostly declined since 1999. The report also finds…

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New TIF Transparency Reforms Enacted

A tax increment financing (TIF) transparency bill (Public Act 096-1335) passed by the Illinois legislature in May and signed into law by Governor Pat Quinn on…

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Cook County Sales Tax Falls by 0.5% Today

The sales tax rate on general merchandise in Cook County declines by 0.5 percentage point on July 1, 2010. This rolls back half of the 1.0 percentage point increase imposed by the Cook County Board of Commissioners effective July 1,…

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Is TIF the Solution to the Chicago Public Schools’ Budget Crisis?

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Civic Federation Position Statement on Senate Bill 1946

The Civic Federation supports the Illinois General Assembly’s first steps toward comprehensive public pension reform in Illinois and urges state leaders to implement further reforms. On Wednesday, March 24, 2010, the Illinois General…