The Civic Federation’s Cook County Modernization 100-Day Accountability Report continues the work of our Cook County Modernization Project. This report includes detailed information on the status of all 36 recommendations from the Civic Federation’s Cook County Modernization Report (published in October 2010), as well as a dashboard rating system for recommendations that were to be implemented within the first 100 days under the leadership of Board President Preckwinkle. Cook County has made…
Concerns Remain about Independence of the Health System, Future Budgets (CHICAGO) A new Civic Federation report released today finds that Cook County has made considerable progress toward modernizing its operations, but still faces significant challenges over the next few years. The Cook County Modernization 100-Day Accountability Report is in follow up to the Federation’s October 2010 Cook County Modernization Report. The new publication assesses the progress the Preckwinkle administration has…
After three years of increasing budget deficits, the State of Illinois is expected to see a smaller budget gap at the end of FY2011 because of tax increases and expanded borrowing for operations. The FY2011 year-end deficit is currently projected to total $4.4 billion, according to Civic Federation calculations based on information in Governor Pat Quinn’s FY2012 recommended budget. That compares with a total budget gap of $6.3 billion in FY2010. The table below shows factors contributing to…
In this article about Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle's moves to reform County government, the Civic Federation says that the County is moving in a positive direction and is more transparent in its operations.
Today marks the 100th day since Toni Preckwinkle took office as President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. During that time, the County has begun to implement a variety of reforms including many of the recommendations from the Civic Federation’s Cook County Modernization Report. The administration released a 100-day report card this morning, which highlights what the administration considers to be its key accomplishments. The Civic Federation began its Cook County Modernization…
The Illinois House of Representatives took a significant step in its annual budget negotiations this week when legislators unanimously passed a resolution limiting General Funds spending to $33.2 billion. The cap on spending is tied to the total estimated revenues for FY2012 set by the House Revenue Committee and is significantly lower than the $36.8 billion annual spending limit included in the legislation passed in January 2011, which raised the State’s income tax rates. House…
The Cook County Board recently passed the County’s FY2011 budget. The budget included large reductions to most County agencies and reflects difficult choices made by the County leadership. The budget also began implementation of some of the recommendations from the Cook County Modernization Report. However, the FY2011 budget is just the start of the heavy lifting that will be necessary to address the fiscal and operational challenges confronting the County. The FY2011 budget will be a…
In this article about the budget-balancing challenges facing City of Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel, the Civic Federation says the next Mayor must make the City's finances his top priority.
This article discusses the fiscal challenges facing Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel. It cites a report by the Civic Federation that says the next mayor must make major fiscal reforms to correct the City's deteriorating finances.
This editorial about the State of Illinois' plan to borrow to pay down its past-due bills cites the Civic Federation, which says the plan is financially reckless.
