Civic Federation Urges Mayor, City Council to Get Moving on Pension Reform The Civic Federation announced its support for the proposed $6.3 billion FY2012 City of Chicago Budget today. The Federation’s full 106-page report not only reviews the spending plan for the next fiscal year, but also measures the City’s progress in implementing reforms to improve financial sustainability. “Chicago is not…
The Civic Federation supports the proposed FY2012 City of Chicago budget of nearly $6.3 billion because it takes effective action to reduce the City’s structural deficit through significant expenditure reductions and targeted revenue increases. The proposed budget greatly reduces the City’s reliance on one-time revenue sources to close the $635.7 million budget gap. It prudently does not contain…
Civic Federation Encourages County to Fully Implement Planning Policies (CHICAGO) The Civic Federation supports the proposed $434.7 million DuPage County budget for FY2012 because it cuts spending for the third year in a row while holding the property tax levy flat. Despite reducing expenditures, the County pledges to maintain core services for residents. The proposed budget does many things…
The Civic Federation supports the DuPage County Proposed FY2012 Financial Plan of $434.7 million. The County is reducing expenditures for the third year in a row while pledging to maintain the existing level of service and keep the property tax levy at the same level as last year. In order to properly plan for the most efficient and effective use of taxpayer resources in this uncertain economic…
This article discusses City of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plans to overhaul the City’s trash collection system to reduce costs to taxpayers. The Civic Federation says that the City needs to cut costs because it has had a recent history of structural budget deficits and increasing spending, despite revenue declines.
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 Financially Sustainable City of Chicago” report.
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 “Recommendations for a Financially Sustainable City of Chicago” report, which noted that all areas of City spending, including public safety, need to contribute to reducing the City’s budget…
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 one member voting present. It was the first time that the Health Facilities Board had considered the Oak Forest closure since Governor Pat Quinn in June 2011…
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. The Civic Federation says that it is wary of this option due to a past history of irregularities in the County’s human resources department. The Federation…
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 Cook County Modernization Report released last fall, the Civic Federation recommended that the County make full implementation of performance-based budgeting a priority. The data should be a mix of…
