Government Budgets

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Being broke costs state $550 million

This news article discusses the Civic Federation’s “Cost of the Crisis” report. The article focuses on the report’s finding that because of the State of Illinois’ high cost of borrowing due to recent downgrades to its bond ratings, the State may have to pay an additional $551.3 million in debt service costs.

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President of the Civic Federation Laurence Msall joins Don Wade and Roma

Don Wade and Roma interview Civic Federation President Laurence Msall about the Civic Federation’s “Cost of the Crisis” report. Mr. Msall said State of Illinois taxpayers will pay an additional $551.3 million more in debt service on bonds due to downgrades to the State’s credit ratings. To restore fiscal solvency, Mr. Msall says the State must make major cuts and balance the budget without taking…

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Illinois Charged an Extra $551 Million in Borrowing Costs Over the Last 12 Months

(CHICAGO) The Civic Federation released today a comparative analysis of the cost of the $9.6 billion in bonds the State of Illinois issued between September 2009 and July 2010. The report estimated that Illinois government may pay as much as $551.3 million extra for its borrowing as a consequence of its deteriorating bond rating. The full report is available at www.civicfed.org. “Due to…

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Cost of the Crisis: An Analysis of the Additional Bond Costs Paid by the State of Illinois Due to the State’s Ongoing Fiscal Crisis

This issue brief provides a comparative analysis of the cost of the $9.6 billion in bonds the State of Illinois issued between September 2009 and July 2010. The report estimates that Illinois government may pay as much as $551.3 million extra for its borrowing as a consequence of its deteriorating bond rating. The report found that the extra borrowing cost will continue to stress future budgets…

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FOX Chicago Sunday: Laurence Msall

In a discussion on the Fox Chicago Sunday news program about the City of Chicago’s budget shortfall, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall discusses the effect that privatization of some City services may have on closing the gap.

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Illinois' Build America Bond Subsidy Could Face Offset Risk

A recent report shows that nearly all the bond subsidies promised under the Build America Bond (BAB) program are being paid by the federal government to issuers applying for the credit without significant administrative delay. The BAB subsidy, equal to 35% of the interest cost of qualified municipal bonds, was pledged as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The program was…

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Civic group gives CPS budget cool OK

This article explores findings in the Civic Federation’s analysis of Chicago Public Schools’ $6.5 billion FY2011 proposed budget. It notes the Federation’s opposition to the District’s plans to deplete its reserve funds and take a partial pension holiday to close a budget deficit.

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CPS Budget Plan Receives a Grim Warning

In this news segment, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall explains the Civic Federation’s analysis of Chicago Public Schools’ FY2011 proposed budget.

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Chicago Public Schools looks to balance budget on shaky foundation: Civic Federation

This article discusses findings in the Civic Federation’s analysis of the Chicago Public Schools FY2011 proposed budget. The article mentions the Federation’s warnings about the future budget gap created by a partial pension holiday over the next three years granted to CPS by the State of Illinois.

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CPS Officials Say They Plan on Restructuring the District’s Debt

This segment on the City Room news program discusses a Chicago Public Schools plan to restructure its debt instead of depleting its reserve fund in order to balance its budget as originally proposed. The segment mentions the Civic Federation’s analysis of the District’s FY2011 proposed budget, which opposed the emptying of the reserve fund.