The Illinois General Assembly has approved a $36.3 billion general operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year with an acknowledged shortfall of at least $3.0 billion in revenues. The package of approximately 20 appropriation bills and…
This editorial discusses the $1.1 billion deficit Chicago Public Schools is facing and the decisions the District will need to make before the fall school year begins. It cites the Civic Federation’s…
This article covers the tough financial choices Chicago Public Schools is facing coming into the fall 2015 school year, including a $634 million pension payment. The Civic Federation discussed the District’s difficult options: severe…
This article discusses Mayor Emanuel’s plan to tackle a sharp increase in required payments to the City’s pension funds next year, based on a 2010 law aimed at bringing the City’s Police and Fire pension funds back to 90 percent funded by…
This article discusses the FY2016 Recommended Budget Analysis released by the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation. The Civic…
This article covers an analysis released on the Governor’s FY2016 Recommended Budget by the Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability. The…
This article covers the FY2016 Recommended Budget Analysis released by the Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability on May 7. The analysis…
This segment reports on recent proposals for a casino in the City of Chicago intended to generate revenue for the City, primarily to pay down unfunded pension liabilities. The Civic Federation said it is unclear how much revenue a new…
This article looks at the growth of CountyCare, Cook County’s initiative to provide Medicaid coverage for low-income adult patients who are currently uninsured. The Civic Federation said the expansion of CountyCare and the resulting…
An Illinois Supreme Court decision overturning legislation to reduce the State’s massive pension costs will add to the difficulty of creating a balanced operating budget for the year that begins on July 1, 2015. The high court…
