Government Efficiency and Transparency

July 12, 2019

Cook County’s Newly Formed Independent Revenue Forecasting Commission Holds First Meeting

A Commission created to analyze an annual five-year forecast of Cook County revenues held its…

June 20, 2019

New Bond Court Report and Data Provide Answers, Raise More Questions

The Cook County Chief Judge’s Office recently released a report and…

June 13, 2019

The Property Tax Appeal Board Backlog: A History and Recommendations

Click here to read the full report.Click here to read the press release…

May 30, 2019

Mayor Lightfoot and City Council Move Up the Implementation of Livestreaming Committee Meetings

During Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s first City Council meeting on May 29, 2019, new City Council Rules and Procedures were adopted by the Council.…

April 5, 2019

Livestreaming Chicago School Board Meetings Should Be a Priority for the Incoming Mayoral Administration

Last week, the Civic Federation wrote about the Chicago City Council’s recent approval of a…

March 28, 2019

Chicago City Council Approves Livestreaming Committee Meetings

On March 13, 2019 the Chicago City Council voted to approve Substitute…

March 12, 2019

Financial Challenges for the Next Chicago Mayor and City Council

Click here to read the full report.…

January 23, 2019

Update on the Illinois Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force Recommendations

Illinois’ large number of local government units – the largest in the United States at approximately 7,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau – is often cited as a reason for high property taxes in Illinois and has fueled calls for…

November 28, 2018

Civic Federation 2019 Legislative Priorities

2019 Civic Federation Legislative PrioritiesThe Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2019 …

October 25, 2018

Civic Federation Supports Cook County's FY2019 Budget

(CHICAGO) In a report released today, the Civic Federation announced support for Cook County’s proposed FY2019 budget. The $5.9 billion budget proposal is structurally balanced without raising new taxes and continues the practice of making…