A report released by the Cook County Clerk in November 2023 found that revenue from tax increment financing (TIF) districts in Cook County increased for a sixth straight year to a record $1.7 billion, including approximately $1.3 billion from the City of Chicago and $404.3 million from suburban Cook County. The $1.7 billion total accounts for a 7.5% increase from tax year 2021 and represents…
As part of the total City of Chicago budget adopted for the 2024 fiscal year that began on January 1, the City Council approved a nearly $2.0 billion budget for the Chicago Police Department (CPD). The Police Department budget represents 12% of the City’s total $16.6 billion appropriations for FY2024 across all funds, including grants. Excluding grants, the CPD budget makes up approximately 15%…
In September 2023 the Chicago City Council approved placing a referendum on the March 2024 primary municipal election ballot asking voters to approve a change in the structure of the City’s real estate transfer tax (RETT) from the current flat rate to a graduated rate. The tax would be imposed on buyers of properties. The tax proposal has been described as a “mansion” tax, but it would apply…
The following are summaries of the five most-read posts presented on the Civic Federation’s blog in 2023, listed here in chronological order. The posts examine issues related to Illinois taxes and debt, Tier 2 Benefits, the SAFE-T Act, and the tragic passing of Civic Federation President Laurence Msall.
This blog post examines the City of Chicago’s long-term liabilities. It includes a review of trends in the City’s long-term governmental and business-type activities, liabilities, debt service trends and a discussion of its tax-supported long-term debt and recent credit rating changes.
The Civic Federation on Wednesday released its latest report, City of Chicago FY2024 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations. The report was prepared for consideration by Mayor Johnson and his administration as well as the City Council in advance of the Council’s upcoming vote on the proposed FY2024 budget in mid-November. The report is also intended to be a resource for the…
EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe Civic Federation supports Mayor Johnson’s proposed FY2024 budget of $16.6 billion. The City of Chicago budget continues to benefit from the region’s strong economic recovery from the pandemic and recently improved revenue performance in areas that had thus far been slower to recover, such as tourism and large events. Further, it reflects several policies that the Civic…
Federation praises supplemental pension payments, increase in Police Department civilian positions, but warns of budget’s structural imbalance and future fiscal strains
In this blog post, the Civic Federation analyzes indicators of the fiscal health of the City of Chicago’s four pension funds based on the most recent FY2022 actuarial reports, dated December 31, 2022. The City of Chicago’s pension funds are severely underfunded due to a combination of statutory underfunding, benefit enhancements, investment losses, optimistic assumptions and other long-term…
This blog takes an updated look at the Chicago Police Department (CPD) budget and staffing levels for 2023 based on the City of Chicago’s adopted budget for fiscal year 2023. The Mayor will introduce a new budget proposal for FY2024 later this fall. How much does the City of Chicago budget for public safety?The total City of Chicago budget adopted for Fiscal Year 2023, which ends…
