This article discusses Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s warnings about the County’s $315 million budget gap, which includes the possibility of layoffs and cuts. The Civic Federation says it supports Board President Preckwinkle’s decision to release the County’s first preliminary budget because it gives County Commissioners and citizens a better understanding of the fiscal pressures…
This news segment discusses the likelihood of layoffs and deep cuts in Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s FY2012 preliminary budget for the County. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall says that closing the County’s $317 million budget deficit would be difficult without major cuts.
The June 2011 edition of Government Finance Review features “The Chicago Experience: a P3 Checklist,” co-authored by Civic Federation President Laurence Msall and Program Manager Roland Calia. The article reviews the City of Chicago’s experiences with its three major public-private partnership (P3) asset lease transactions: the Skyway, the downtown parking garages and the parking meters and…
Governor Pat Quinn’s plan to cancel pay raises for State of Illinois unionized workers due to insufficient funds in the FY2012 budget has hit a major hurdle. The plan, which would have affected 30,000 members of Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) across 14 state agencies, would have violated a union contract, according to a ruling on July 19,…
In many of its past reports, the Civic Federation has recommended that local governments integrate performance management into their budgeting process and make that information public. In the Cook County Modernization Report released last fall, the Civic Federation recommended that the County make full implementation of performance-based budgeting a priority. The data should be a mix of…
After two consecutive years of losses, the State of Illinois is reporting moderate growth in sales tax revenue for FY2011, which ended on June 30, 2011. Not only did sales tax revenue collected by the State grow but it also beat the projections on which the budget was based. Total General Funds revenues from sales taxes declined from FY2008 through FY2010 by nearly $1 billion, from $7.2 billion…
The Civic Federation supports the City Colleges FY2012 tentative budget totaling $651.5 million, an increase of $69.6 million, or 12.0%, over the adopted FY2011 budget. Unrestricted operating funds, the portion of the budget over which the District exercises maximum control, will increase by 1.7%, or $5.3 million dollars over the previous year. The property tax levy will be frozen at the…
The Civic Federation announced today its support for the City Colleges of Chicago proposed FY2012 operating budget of $651.5 million. The Federation supports the budget because it exercises fiscal restraint and follows many of the Federation’s previous recommendations. Visit civicfed.org to read the full report. “The Civic Federation applauds City Colleges and Chancellor Hyman’s commitment to…
Governor Pat Quinn signed the State of Illinois’ FY2012 budget on June 30, 2011, a day before the start of the new fiscal year. The FY2012 budget is expected to generate a mountain of unpaid Medicaid bills and a possible court battle over union pay raises. In signing the budget, which includes $32.987 billion in general operating funds, the Governor reduced the budget passed by the General…
Findings in a report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas that show that the County owes $108 billion in accrued debt is the focus of this article. The Civic Federation says the report is a good contribution to the debate over local government debt and pension obligations.
