This editorial discusses the proposed conversion of some ward-based services in the City of Chicago to grid-based. It mentions the Civic Federation’s support for such a change, as detailed in the Federation’s “Recommendations for a…
This article discusses the issues surrounding efforts to reduce public workforces, especially with regard to public safety employees, in order to fill budget gaps. The article cites the Civic Federation’s “…
After twice rejecting the plan, a State of Illinois board voted on August 16, 2011 to allow Cook County to close Oak Forest Hospital. The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board approved the proposal by a vote of 7 to 1, with…
Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle’s exploration of the possibility of transferring some Cook County Health and Hospital System responsibilities, such as human resources and purchasing, back to Cook County is the focus of this article…
In many of its past reports, the Civic Federation has recommended that local governments integrate performance management into their budgeting process and make that information public. In the…
Two years ago, the Civic Federation profiled efforts by Cook County governments to increase the transparency of their operations by launching Twitter accounts. The “Tweeting Towards Transparency” blog posts (…
The Civic Federation supports the City Colleges FY2012 tentative budget totaling $651.5 million, an increase of $69.6 million, or 12.0%, over the adopted FY2011 budget. Unrestricted operating funds, the portion of the budget over…
The Civic Federation announced today its support for the City Colleges of Chicago proposed FY2012 operating budget of $651.5 million. The Federation supports the budget because it exercises fiscal restraint and follows many of the…
Civic Federation President Laurence Msall discusses recommendations from the Civic Federation’s report on ways to improve the City of Chicago’s fiscal sustainability in this…
In the Civic Federation’s “Recommendations for a Financially Sustainable City of Chicago” report issued last week, the Federation discussed the importance of a government…
