This article discusses a proposal by Governor Bruce Rauner to allow cities, towns and counties in Illinois to file for bankruptcy protection. The Civic Federation’s 2015 Legislative Priorities encourage the Illinois General Assembly to create an Illinois Municipal Protection Authority as an alternative to bankruptcy to assist local governments in finding creative, voluntary solutions to their…
Annexation is the extension of municipal boundaries into adjacent unincorporated areas and the corresponding expansion of city services to those newly incorporated areas. In Illinois, municipal governments have the authority to determine and expand their boundaries, subject to the provisions of the Illinois Municipal Code. In a recent report, the Civic Federation began to identify reasons why…
Cook County’s unincorporated areas account for 125.8 square miles, or 13.1% of the County’s total land area. (Of that land area, 60.26% is located within a forest preserve.) Residents of these areas rely on the County to provide municipal services such as law enforcement, building and zoning, and liquor control at a cost to the County of $37.2 million each year. A recent Civic Federation report…
This article discusses a report released by the Civic Federation that examines selected areas within Cook County that have never been incorporated by a municipality. In these unincorporated areas, which account for approximately 2.4% of Cook County’s total population, the residents rely on the County for municipal services like law enforcement, building and zoning, and liquor control.
In-depth analysis also includes recommendations to facilitate incorporation A report released today by the Civic Federation examines selected areas within Cook County that have never been incorporated by a municipality. The full 208-page report, available here, includes an examination of why these areas have never been incorporated, detailed profiles of selected unincorporated areas, an estimate…
To view a mobile friendly version of this report, click here. This report examines selected areas within Cook County that have never been incorporated by a municipality. Approximately 2.4%, or 126,114, of Cook County’s 5.2 million residents live in unincorporated areas of the County and therefore do not pay taxes to a municipality. This requires County government to provide municipal services,…
To view a mobile friendly version of this page, click here. As part of our full report on unincorporated Cook County, the Civic Federation compiled profiles of the unincorporated areas in the six townships that contain a majority of the total unincorporated Cook County population: Bremen, Lemont, Leyden, Maine, Northfield and Orland. Understanding more about the unique…
Below is a list of terms commonly used in the Civic Federation's Unincorporated Cook County report. Annexation Is the extension of municipal boundaries into adjacent unincorporated areas and the corresponding expansion of city services to those newly incorporated areas. In Illinois, municipal governments have the authority to determine and expand their boundaries, subject to the provisions of the…
This editorial acknowledges the 100th anniversary of the Cook County Forest Preserves. It discusses the Forest Preserves’ history and current challenges, including the conflict of interest inherent in the Preserves being overseen by the Cook County Board which has an obligation to promote the County’s economic development. The Civic Federation has been a long-time advocate for a separately-…
Local governments across the country are searching for ways to more humanely and cost-effectively treat individuals with mental illnesses who come into contact with the criminal justice system. According to a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2006 (the most recent year for which these data are available), over half of all incarcerated individuals in federal, state and local jails…
