(CHICAGO) The Civic Federation will announce its support for the proposed $3.0 billion FY2011 Cook County budget at a public hearing today. The plan cuts expenditures and employee headcount while committing to a full repeal of the sales tax increase. The full 61-page report is available on the Civic Federation website, www.civicfed.org. “The Civic Federation commends Board President Preckwinkle…
The Civic Federation supports Cook County’s $3.0 billion FY2011 Executive Budget Recommendation as it reflects a significant effort to reduce expenditures. The new County administration also appears to be on a path toward significant reform of governmental operations, as recommended by the Civic Federation in the Cook County Modernization report, which can be read here. The Civic Federation…
(CHICAGO) The Civic Federation’s Illinois research institute warns that a large tax increase alone has not fixed the state’s broken budget. The Federation’s new FY2012 Budget Roadmap, released ahead of Governor Quinn’s budget address, analyzes the state’s current fiscal position, critiques Governor Quinn’s three-year budget plan and provides recommendations to improve the state’s finances. The…
Prior to the release of the Governor’s annual budget recommendation the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation releases an analysis of the State of Illinois’ fiscal condition and actionable recommendations for the Governor and General Assembly for the coming fiscal year. This year the State of Illinois Budget Roadmap also includes an analysis and recommendations…
This report identifies the most significant financial challenges facing the City of Chicago and provides recommendations to the new Mayor of Chicago for ways to improve and stabilize the City’s finances in the short- and long-term. Those challenges include addressing the City’s significant budget deficit expected to be at least $500 million for FY2012, a growing bonded debt load, and crisis-…
The new Mayor of the City of Chicago faces three major fiscal challenges that will require the immediate attention of the new administration, according to a new report released today by the Civic Federation. The daunting difficulties include addressing the City’s significant structural budget deficit, a growing bonded debt load and crisis-ridden employee pensions. The Federation’s report includes…
This article is about City of Chicago mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel’s plans to fix the City’s budget gap and pension funding issues. The Civic Federation says the City’s financial condition is precarious and the next mayor will need to make some tough choices.
In this article about the City of Chicago’s plan to incur debt to pay City firefighters back pay, the Civic Federation says that borrowing funds to pay for operating costs is expensive and demonstrates a lack of financial planning.
This article examines the City of Chicago Inspector General’s revelation that unpaid furlough days taken by City employees to help bridge a City budget gap may have also contributed to a shortchanging of the City’s pension systems. The Civic Federation says the City has a very short-term fiscal outlook, which creates challenges for the next Mayor and City Council.
Illinois’ budgetary woes put it in the company of states such as California and Nevada that are suffering major economic consequences due to unsound fiscal policies and the current economic climate. However, other states, including those known for better fiscal management, are being forced to make tough choices to reconcile their budgets. The state of Texas, whose economic condition was described…
