Press Room

The press room houses Civic Federation press releases and recent news clips, as well as quick facts and figures about our organization and the governments we analyze. You can also sign up for our RSS feeds to stay informed about all of the Civic Federation’s non-partisan research, information and action.

Budget surplus good news for CPS, but district ‘not out of the woods’

01.25.19

Chicago Sun-Times

This article discussed Chicago Public Schools' $324 million surplus for fiscal year 2018, its first budget surplus in three years. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said that the surplus...

It's been a bad decade for property taxes

01.09.19

Crain's Chicago Business

This article covered the annual Effective Property Tax Rates report , which compared estimated...

Pension challenges widespread among Illinois local governments

12.31.18

The Bond Buyer

This article discussed the challenges municipalities across Illinois face in dealing with their growing pension obligations. The article offered a number of examples where the burden of pensions...

Mayor Rahm Emanuel pushes public pension fix to City Council, including legalized marijuana, Chicago casino, constitutional amendment

12.12.18

Chicago Tribune

This article covered Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's call for a constitutional amendment, $10 billion in pension obligation bonds and new revenue from legalizing and taxing marijuana and a Chicago...

Editorial: Gambling and legal weed won’t pay Chicago’s huge pension debt

10.31.18

Chicago Sun-Times

This editorial from the Chicago Sun-Times asserts that a Chicago casino and marijuana legalization would not provide adequate revenue sources to tackle the City of Chicago’s severe pension...

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