Property taxes are the primary revenue source for Illinois local governments, funding schools, pensions, and essential services. Maintaining strong property tax collection rates—typically above 95%—is critical for community stability and fiscal health. This report's findings underscore deep structural inequities in Illinois’ reliance on property taxes to fund local services. Without intervention, declining collection rates and widening disparities will continue to undermine the fiscal health of…
State debt burden—a state’s total financial liability from various forms of borrowing, including bonds, loans, and related financing instruments—is one of the core indicators of a government’s fiscal health, stability, and creditworthiness. This Civic Federation analysis indicates that, based on current State projections at the time of publication, the State of Illinois is positioned to continue a nearly decade-long trend of gradually reducing its debt burden. That situation could change,…
Mosquito abatement districts (MAD) in Illinois utilize integrated pest management strategies to control mosquito populations and prevent diseases from mosquito-borne viruses such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue, filariasis, encephalitis, and West Nile virus.Mosquito abatement services can be delivered by special district governments, municipal or county public health programs, public works programs, or through contracts with private companies. In parts of Cook County, four mosquito abatement…
CHICAGO – Illinois is home to nearly 9,000 local governments—more than any other state. This sprawling, and at times overlapping, patchwork of governance jurisdictions has long fueled redundancies and inefficiencies, resulting in transparency and accountability deficits. In stark contrast, many other states deliver vital public services through far leaner government structures. A prime example of this inefficiency is found in the four Cook County Mosquito Abatement Districts.
Executive Summary Illinois’ fiscal policies significantly influence economic growth and employment in the state. How do those choices affect Illinois’ status as a top-tier place to “live, work, and do business,” and what specific fiscal factors appear most related to desired economic growth and investment state-wide? This report complements the Civic Federation’s upcoming State Budget Roadmap report by providing a substantive overview of Illinois’ economic landscape and fiscal structure,…
Executive Summary The Chicago Public School District (CPS or the “District”) faces a critical financial juncture, highlighted by structural budget imbalances, rising expenditures, declining enrollment, significant near-term infrastructure investment needs, and substantial long-term liabilities. A new 21-member Board of Education (the “Board”), partially elected for the first time, inherits these challenges as it assumes oversight on January 15, 2025.
The Chicago Public School District (CPS) faces a critical financial juncture, as outlined in a Civic Federation report released today. The newly expanded 21-member, hybrid-elected Board of Education (the “Board”) faces a confluence of financial challenges immediately upon taking office on January 15, 2025, as evidenced by discouraging trends that jeopardize the District’s ability to provide quality education necessary to prepare Chicago students for success. By laying out a…
This blog post examines the City of Chicago’s long-term liabilities. It includes a review of trends in the City’s long-term governmental and business-type activities, liabilities, debt service trends and a discussion of its tax-supported long-term debt and recent credit rating changes.
New data from the Illinois Gaming Board show that casino revenue gross receipts have continued their recent trend of annual growth, thereby increasing tax allocations to the State of Illinois and local governments. These data also offer first-month estimates of the City of Chicago’s inaugural casino, the temporary location of which opened Sept. 9, 2023, at the former Medinah Temple building. The revenue generated by the casino for Chicago will by State law be dedicated to the City’s police…
This blog post blog post examines Cook County’s long-term liabilities. It includes a review of trends in Cook County’s long-term governmental and business-type activities liabilities, debt service trends and a discussion of its tax-supported long-term debt and recent credit rating changes. This analysis was previously presented as part of the Civic Federation’s annual examination of the Cook County proposed budget.
