In return for watching over District land and serving as a deterrent to crime or misuse, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County rents housing on its property to employees at drastically discounted rates through its Resident Watchmen Program. On October 28, 2011, the District announced plans to strengthen the program by implementing basic requirements for renters and increasing the fee…
The Illinois House has approved a spending plan for FY2013 that would cut the State of Illinois’ expenditures from the level proposed by Governor Pat Quinn and use an additional budget surplus to reduce the State’s backlog of unpaid bills. House Resolution 706, approved on March 29, 2012, calls for spending $32.9 billion from general operating funds in FY2013. That spending level is $858.6…
Evanston voters overwhelmingly approved a non-binding advisory referendum to dissolve Evanston Township in the March 20, 2012 election. Election results show that 66.9% of voters supported the measure while 33.0% opposed it. Legally dissolving the township will require action by the General Assembly. In October 2011, the Evanston City Council voted 5-4 to submit the question of abolition to a…
This Tribune editorial urged advocacy groups to join those calling for reforms to the State of Illinois’ Medicaid program and pension systems because rising costs in these areas are increasingly squeezing out funding for all other State programs. It cited the Civic Federation’s projection that the State’s backlog of unpaid bills could rise from the current $8 billion to nearly $35 billion by…
On March 21, 2012, the Illinois House passed House Bill 3810 with a 79 to 25 vote, a bill that would end the Illinois General Assembly Legislative Scholarship Program as of June 1, 2012. Tuition waivers granted by members on or before June 1, 2012 would still be valid for the full duration of the scholarship. Governor Quinn has repeatedly called for an end to the program. The legislative…
UPDATE: On May 24, 2012 the Illinois General Assembly approved legislation to permit Cook County’s public health system to obtain federal funding for medical services for low-income adults under the Medicaid program. The plan must still be approved by the federal government. House Bill 5007 passed the House by a vote of 62 to 55 and the Senate by a vote of 35 to 22. The Cook County plan required…
At its next meeting, the Committee on Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations of the Cook County Board of Commissioners will consider a resolution requiring the County Assessor, Clerk, Recorder of Deeds, Treasurer and President of the Board of Commissioners to draft an interoffice agreement establishing an Office of Tax Administration. The Civic Federation has historically supported…
This article discusses the severe financial challenges that persist in Illinois, despite last year’s tax increases. The Civic Federation says that revenue increases alone will not solve the problem; the State needs to implement structural reforms to its Medicaid program, pension systems and overall spending.
Three weeks after Governor Pat Quinn delivered his FY2013 budget address, details on the recommended FY2013 capital budget are still not widely available. In most years, the Governor is required under the State Budget Act to deliver the operating and capital budgets for the coming year no later than the third Wednesday in February. This year the deadline was extended to the fourth Wednesday…
In the last week, both houses of the Illinois General Assembly approved a General Funds revenue projection for FY2013 that is lower than the amounts included in the Governor’s recommended budget. In two parallel resolutions, House Resolution 707 and Senate Resolution 586, legislators agreed that the State’s FY2013 budget should be based on an expectation of $33.7 billion in General Funds revenues…
