The Civic Federation opposed the $7.3 million property tax hike proposed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District in its FY2003 $758 million budget.
The Civic Federation supported the proposed FY2003 $141 million budget because of the proposed expenditure reductions of nearly $7 million, the elimination of 473 positions, the implementation of management efficiencies including outsourcing of tree planting, and the transfer of a portion of the public safety function to the Sheriff’s Office and municipal police departments.
The Civic Federation commended President Stroger for proposing a $2.9 billion budget that is balanced with no broad based tax increases andcontinues a trend toward reducing reliance on property tax.
The Civic Federation commended the City of Chicago for avoiding any broad based tax increases in its efforts to balance the $4.7 billion FY2003 budget.
The Civic Federation was encouraged by the City Colleges’ efforts to balance its $296 million budget by reducing positions and drawing down reserves. The Federation also applauded its efforts to implement a strategic planning process.
The Civic Federation applauded the Chicago Public Schools for eliminating $28 million in spending, in addition to the $90 million in cuts made in May in order to close a cumulative budget gap of at least $192 million. However, the Federation was disappointed that the CPS proposes to increase the number of budgeted positions in FY2003 by 113.
The Civic Federation opposed the $4.3 million property tax increase proposed in the MWRD’s proposed FY2002 budget of $793 million. The Federation did not believe that increasing taxes during a recession was prudent.
The Civic Federation opposed the $7 million property tax increase proposed in the FY2002 Chicago Park District’s $334 million budget. However, we strongly supported the innovative directions the District has taken this year and previous years to cut costs, enhance non-tax based revenues, and improve efficiency.
The Civic Federation commended Cook County for proposing a FY2002 budget of $2.7 billion that held the line on spending and avoided tax or fee increases. However, we were disappointed that the County once again failed to improve its financial condition or management in the long-term, improve the efficiency of County operations, or contain costs.
The Civic Federation supported the proposed FY2002 City of Chicago budget of $4.6 billion because: the budget did not include any broad-based tax increases; it eliminated 538 vacant positions for a net savings of $22 million; it cut 5% from all non-safety related agencies; and it froze overtime and hiring except for key health, safety and security programs.
