In 2010 the Civic Federation blog provided comprehensive information about government and fiscal issues across Illinois for the public, government officials and media. In a range of posts on topics from the…
This article discusses River Forest’s plan to prevent the diversion of soon-expiring TIF funds by using them to fund a last-minute development. The Civic Federation says this plan breaches the public trust and may not withstand legal…
A new report on Cook County Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts was released today by Cook County Clerk…
The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2011 include public pension reform, requiring state government to develop and implement a capital improvement plan, the dissolving of the Illinois International Port District, creating a…
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…
The Civic Federation announced today that it opposes the $6.2 billion FY2011 City of Chicago budget because it does not do enough to address the City’s structural deficit. Instead it relies upon long-term asset lease funds and other non-…
Civic Federation Supports FY2011 Budget, Urges More Complete Planning Process Citing DuPage County’s plan to cut expenditures by 3.0% while pledging to maintain core services, the Civic Federation announced today that it supports the…
The Civic Federation supports the DuPage County FY2011 proposed operating budget of $459.4 million. The County is reducing operating expenditures for the second year in a row while pledging to maintain the existing level of service and…
Tax increment financing (TIF) districts do not freeze property tax revenue available to other taxing districts in Cook County; the principal effect of TIF is to raise tax rates higher than they otherwise would have been.…