In this news segment about the possibility that the City of Chicago will privatize services such as the lakefront festivals and recycling to close a budget gap, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall says the plan is worth considering…
This article discusses the City of Chicago’s possible bid to privatize its lakefront festivals, recycling, and other services to bridge a budget gap. The Civic Federation says the City has already benefited from privatizing janitorial and…
This article explores the challenges Mayor Daley faces in filling the City of Chicago’s $655 million budget gap. One of the options being considered involves using proceeds from the City’s recent privatization deals. The Civic Federation…
This news segment details how the City of Chicago had only $2.7 million in reserves at the end of FY2009. The Civic Federation says the City should have cash reserves of at least $200 million given the size of its operating budget.
The redesign of the Civic Federation website in July has provided the public, government officials, and the media better access to the Federation’s analyses of government services in Illinois. The regularly-updated Civic Federation blog…
All governments - whether states, cities or school districts - should place a portion of their general operating revenues in a general fund reserve or “rainy day” fund. These rainy day funds are savings accounts that governments can use to…
The Civic Federation supports the FY2010 Forest Preserve District of Cook County budget of $198.2 million because the District will reduce its property tax levy by $1.1 million and use a portion of its budget reserve funds, rather than…
In FY2010 the City of Chicago proposes to close a majority of its FY2010 $520 million budget deficit with proceeds it received from the long-term leases of its parking meters and the Chicago Skyway. This begs the question: how has the…
The Civic Federation opposes the FY2010 City of Chicago budget of $6.14 billion because it is unsustainable and relies too heavily on one-time reserve funds to close a $520.0 million budget deficit. The proposed drastic draw down of long-…
