The Civic Federation supports the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s FY2011 Tentative Budget of nearly $1.0 billion. The tentative budget is a $681.1 million, or 41.1% decrease over final adjusted FY2010 appropriations. This decline is largely due to decreases in appropriations for the Construction Fund and Capital Improvements Bond Fund. The District plans to reduce Corporate Fund spending by $14.2 million or 4.0% from FY2010 appropriations and raise the property tax levy for tax capped…
CHICAGO — The Civic Federation supports the nearly $1 billion tentative budget proposed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). The District will reduce staffing levels and Corporate Fund spending as a response to difficult economic conditions. However in a 39-page report released today, the Federation voices concern about the continued decline of the fiscal health of the MWRD pension fund. The total MWRD budget fluctuates from year to year due to changes in…
This feature story examines the proposal by the owner of the Chicago Cubs to renovate Wrigley Field using funds from bonds issued by a State of Illinois agency. The Civic Federation explains how amusement tax proceeds are split between the City of Chicago and Cook County and how that money is used.
Civic Federation President Laurence Msall is interviewed in this news segment about proposed expansion in gaming in the State of Illinois. He warns that statewide video poker, despite being approved 18 months ago, has not yet resulted in any revenue for Illinois’ coffers.
This article follows a debate in the suburban community of Niles over whether to allow video gaming within city limits. The Civic Federation says that it opposes video gaming because it is an unreliable source of revenue for governments.
In this article about the Chicago City Council’s approval of Mayor Daley’s FY2011 City of Chicago budget of $6.15 billion, the Civic Federation warns that the next mayor will need to make major cuts to cope with the City’s pension liabilities.
This article is about the approval of the FY2011 City of Chicago budget by the Chicago City Council. The Civic Federation points out that with passage of the budget, the City will have spent nearly 81% of the proceeds from $2.98 billion in asset lease deals.
State of Illinois officials want to tighten procedures for Medicaid by using electronic data to verify eligibility—a step also viewed as crucial to deal with the surge in Medicaid enrollment expected under federal healthcare reform. On November 29, 2010, Julie Hamos, Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), told a committee of the Illinois Senate that HFS needs to cross-check electronic data on Medicaid recipients’ income and employment to weed out ineligible…
The Civic Federation supports the Chicago Park District’s FY2011 proposed operating budget of $397.6 million. The District is proposing to hold the property tax levy flat and maintain expenditures at close to FY2010 levels by using operating efficiencies and personnel cuts. The District is also proposing to eliminate its $22.0 million budget deficit in part by using $12.0 million of TIF surplus and $3.0 million of Corporate Fund balance. However, the Civic Federation is concerned about the…
The Chicago Park District is to be commended for holding its property tax levy flat for the sixth straight year, says a Civic Federation report released today. The District will rely on non-tax revenues and a slight cut in staffing levels to balance its proposed FY2011 budget of $397.6 million. While the Federation commends the District’s restraint, it is also concerned that an ongoing reliance on non-recurring revenues may indicate that the District has a structural deficit. The Chicago Park…
