Despite initial results showing that the State of Illinois’ recent tax amnesty program brought in more than $500 million in delinquent tax revenues, a report from the legislature’s financial oversight commission questions how much new General Funds revenue is actually included in the total funds received. The General Assembly approved the tax amnesty program to help boost revenues as part of the…
Today the Civic Federation released its analysis of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s FY2011 tentative budget. The Civic Federation supports the nearly $1.0 billion budget proposal, which represents a $681.1 million, or 41.1% decrease over final FY2010 appropriations. The large reduction in appropriations reflects the variance that often occurs between budget years for MWRD, due in…
The Civic Federation supports the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s FY2011 Tentative Budget of nearly $1.0 billion. The tentative budget is a $681.1 million, or 41.1% decrease over final adjusted FY2010 appropriations. This decline is largely due to decreases in appropriations for the Construction Fund and Capital Improvements Bond Fund. The District plans to reduce Corporate Fund…
CHICAGO — The Civic Federation supports the nearly $1 billion tentative budget proposed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). The District will reduce staffing levels and Corporate Fund spending as a response to difficult economic conditions. However in a 39-page report released today, the Federation voices concern about the continued decline of the fiscal…
This feature story examines the proposal by the owner of the Chicago Cubs to renovate Wrigley Field using funds from bonds issued by a State of Illinois agency. The Civic Federation explains how amusement tax proceeds are split between the City of Chicago and Cook County and how that money is used.
Civic Federation President Laurence Msall is interviewed in this news segment about proposed expansion in gaming in the State of Illinois. He warns that statewide video poker, despite being approved 18 months ago, has not yet resulted in any revenue for Illinois’ coffers.
This article follows a debate in the suburban community of Niles over whether to allow video gaming within city limits. The Civic Federation says that it opposes video gaming because it is an unreliable source of revenue for governments.
In this article about the Chicago City Council’s approval of Mayor Daley’s FY2011 City of Chicago budget of $6.15 billion, the Civic Federation warns that the next mayor will need to make major cuts to cope with the City’s pension liabilities.
This article is about the approval of the FY2011 City of Chicago budget by the Chicago City Council. The Civic Federation points out that with passage of the budget, the City will have spent nearly 81% of the proceeds from $2.98 billion in asset lease deals.
State of Illinois officials want to tighten procedures for Medicaid by using electronic data to verify eligibility—a step also viewed as crucial to deal with the surge in Medicaid enrollment expected under federal healthcare reform. On November 29, 2010, Julie Hamos, Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), told a committee of the Illinois Senate that HFS needs to cross…
