Cook County

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Value of the Senior Freeze Homestead Exemption in Cook County Plummeted 71.7% Between 2009 and 2014

Ed. note: Updated information on this topic can be found here. ----- Three years ago,…

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Understanding the First Installment Property Tax Bill

On January 25, 2016, the office of the Cook County Treasurer mailed the first installment of the property tax bill to all homeowners in Cook County which is due on March 1, 2016. The bill lists all taxing districts to which property taxes…

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Short-term Liabilities of City of Chicago Increase through FY2014, while CPS and Cook County Short-term Liabilities Decrease

Short-term or current liabilities are financial obligations that must be satisfied within one year. They can include short-term debt, accounts payable, accrued payroll and other current liabilities. This blog post presents five-year…

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2015 Year in Review on Civic Federation Blog

The following are the five most read posts presented by the Civic Federation blog in 2015. These posts examine a number of closely followed local government issues, ranging from City and County taxes to Chicago pension debt.  …

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FY2016 Budget Season Summary

FY2016 Budget Season Summary December 3, 2015 marked the end of the budget season for the eight local governments monitored by the Civic Federation. These governments include: the…

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Estimated Effective Property Tax Rates 2004-2013: Selected Municipalities in Northeastern Illinois

This annual report compares estimated effective property tax rates in the six-county region of northeastern Illinois between 2004 and 2013, the last year for which data are available. Among the 12 selected Cook County communities…

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Estimated Full Value of Real Property in Cook County: 2004-2013

This report provides estimates of the total market value of real property in Cook County from 2004-2013 and shows how property value is spread among the City of Chicago, the northern and the southern suburbs.The full market value of real…

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Cook County Board President to Propose New Hotel Tax Instead of Eliminating Amusement Tax Exemptions

UPDATE: On Monday, November 9, 2015, Cook County Board President Preckwinkle called a special meeting of the Board of Commissioners to address the Hotel Accommodations Tax. On Friday November 6, 2015, the Civic Federation discussed a Hotel…

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Cook County FY2016 Executive Budget Recommendation: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation cannot support Cook County’s proposed FY2016 budget of $4.5 billion because it is based on a one percentage point increase in the County’s sales tax…

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Cook County Health’s FY2016 Budget Focuses on Outpatient Care

On September 9, 2015, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the preliminary…