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 issue brief reviews the status of the five pension funds of the State of Illinois. It discusses the State's historic underfunding of its pension funds, efforts to improve the funding situation (including pension obligation bonds),…
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…
The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2008 include public pension reform, tax increment financing disclosure, creation of a separate board of commissioners for the Cook County Forest Preserve District, school financial…
This report provides a trend analysis of indicators that measure the financial health and performance of ten major local government pension funds from 1997 to 2006. It finds a combined 18.3 billion dollars in unfunded liabilities for the…
The Civic Federation supports the MWRD's FY2008 Budget because it minimizes the burden on taxpayers and demonstrates sound financial planning techniques. The Civic Federation is concerned about the declining funded ratio of the MWRD…
