This article analyzes how suburban Cook County park districts subsidize their recreational programs. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall commented on the Village of Palatine’s use of recreational program revenue for capital projects, noting that transferring surpluses from one year to other accounts is acceptable, as long as it’s not used to avoid voter approval for large capital expenses…
On November 16, 2016, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) released an amended FY2017 budget plan based on the contract agreement reached between the District and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) on November 1, 2016. The revised budget includes an additional $55 million in spending which CPS plans to fund through $55 million additional tax increment financing (TIF) surplus from the City of Chicago. The…
2017 Civic Federation Legislative Priorities The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2017 include public employee pension reforms, consolidation of local government units in Illinois, expanding the sales tax base while controlling spending, creation of a Local Government Protection Authority, requiring the State of Illinois to build a rainy day…
(CHICAGO) In an analysis released today, the Civic Federation announced its support for the Chicago Park District’s proposed FY2017 operating budget of $449.4 million. The budget continues to reduce the District’s reliance on fund balance to close its budget deficits and keeps the property tax levy relatively flat. The full 61-page analysis is here. As detailed in the analysis, the Federation…
The Civic Federation supports the Chicago Park District’s proposed FY2017 operating budget of $449.4 million because it continues to reduce the District’s reliance on fund balance to close its budget deficits and keeps the property tax levy relatively flat. At a time of increased pressure for local governments across Illinois, the Chicago Park District’s proposed FY2017 budget furthers the…
This article analyzes the few options left for the Chicago Public Schools to stabilize District finances after Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s recent veto of $215 million in state funding. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall urges CPS to explore options beyond relying solely on an override of the Governor’s veto. Additional coverage Chicago Tribune: Rauner's veto leaves CPS with a…
The Civic Federation recently released its analysis of the CTA’s FY2017 Budget. The Civic Federation supports the Chicago Transit Authority’s FY2017 operating budget of $1.52 billion because it holds base fares flat and continues to make strategic capital investments despite ongoing state funding uncertainty. As part the Civic Federation’s annual analysis of the CTA budget, the Federation uses…
This article discusses a State of Illinois program aimed at accelerating overdue payments to the State’s vendors. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall comments that no other state would set up this sort of program to pay its vendors because it dramatically inflates the cost of services.
(CHICAGO) In an analysis released today, the Civic Federation announced its support for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s FY2017 Tentative budget of $1.13 billion because the District continues to demonstrate a sensible and proactive approach to meeting its financial challenges. The full 57-page analysis is available here. As detailed in the report, the FY2017 Tentative budget…
The Civic Federation supports the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s FY2017 Tentative budget of $1.13 billion because the District continues to demonstrate a sensible and proactive approach to meeting its financial challenges. As mentioned in the full report, the FY2017 Tentative budget is 9.0% less than the FY2016 adjusted budget of $1.24 billion, which is due to the variance that often…
