The Civic Federation supports the CTA’s FY2009 budget of $1.3 billion as a responsible short-term plan to provide critical mass transit services to the Chicagoland population. The CTA’s proposed fare increases of 25 to 50 cents per ride,…
The Civic Federation supports the Forest Preserve District's proposed $193.6 million budget because the District will freeze its property tax levy this year and maintains a prudent fund balance. However, the Federation warns that the…
The Civic Federation offers qualified support for the DuPage County $505 million FY2009 budget proposal. Although DuPage County has proposed a reasonable spending plan that freezes property tax, our support is qualified because the budget…
This report compares property tax rates in selected communities around metropolitan Chicago, and finds that effective rates for commercial property in Chicago declined by nearly 60 percent between tax years 1999 and 2006.
The Civic Federation supports the proposal to to amend the Cook County Classification Ordinance in order to change the levels of assessment to 10% for residential, vacant, and apartment properties, and 25% for commercial, industrial, and…
This report provides estimates of the total market value of real property in Cook County from 1997-2006 and shows how property value is spread among the City of Chicago, the northern and the southern suburbs. From 1997-2006, the value of…
The Civic Federation supports the the Chicago Public Schools recommended 6.2 billion dollar FY2009 budget because it shows restraint by freezing property tax rather than reflexively raising them to the maximum amount allowed under the…
The Civic Federation does not support the City Colleges' proposed FY2009 budget because it is unsustainable and relies almost exclusively on revenue enhancements, such as a maximum property tax increase, rather than focusing on ways to…
The Civic Federation opposes the unaffordable program expansions and long-term borrowing proposed in the FY2009 State budget recommendation, but supports the proposed 3% cut from non-priority agencies and other efforts to streamline and…
This issue brief provides an overview of some state and local fiscal issues that could be considered at a new Illinois Constitutional Convention. The proposals described do not necessarily reflect positions of the Civic Federation, but are…
