The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2007 include public pension reform, property tax exemptions and assessment reform, revision of the Regional Transportation Authority Act, tax increment financing disclosure, timely county audits, and other post employment benefit trust fund authorization.
The Civic Federation offers qualified support for Cook County’s FY2007 Budget based on the County’s plan to meet its 502 million dollar budget deficit with substantial spending cuts rather than tax increases. The Civic Federation opposes, however, the County’s plan to borrow 104 million dollars to make its FY2007 pension contribution, and calls upon the County to implement an effective performance measurement system in order to improve the County’s budgeting process.
CHICAGO – Citing a looming financial disaster, the Civic Federation announced today its qualified support for President Todd Stroger’s $3.0 billion spending plan because it faces up to the catastrophic state of the County’s finances by making necessary spending cuts. The full text of the Civic Federation’s analysis of Cook County’s FY2007 budget is available online at www.civicfed.org. The Civic Federation applauds President Todd Stroger’s focus on spending reductions to balance the budget…
The Civic Federation supported the MWRD's FY2007 Budget because it minimizes the burden on taxpayers and implements sound financial planning techniques. Notably, the MWRD has adopted a policy establishing an irrevocable trust for funding its Other Post Employment Benefit liabilities (e.g., retiree health care), and is appropriating 10 million dollars for this purpose in FY2007. The District is one of the few governments in Illinois that has moved beyond the question of how to report OPEB…
The Civic Federation supported the Chicago Park District's FY2007 Budget because the District did not raise its property tax levy this year, and has held down operating costs through a combination of careful management practices, privatization of services, and public-private partnerships. However, the Federation was concerned by a decline in health of the District's pension fund, exacerbated by a recent reduction in District pension contributions. The Federation also cautioned that the…
CIVIC FEDERATION APPLAUDS FISCAL RESTRAINT IN PARKS BUDGET Urges Pension and Employee Benefit Reform to Control Costs CHICAGO – Praising a combination of careful management practices, prudent privatization initiatives, and creative public-private partnerships, the Civic Federation announced its support for the proposed $393.9 million FY2007 Chicago Park District budget. The Federation’s complete Park District budget analysis, including detailed findings and recommendations, will be available…
This issue brief describes various forms of privatization available to the public sector, including asset sales, contracting out of management, corporatization, internal markets, intergovernmental contracts, managed competition, and vouchers. It discusses the pros and cons of these alternative service delivery options with examples of privatization efforts in Chicago-area governments. It also includes the Civic Federation's position on alternative service delivery and recommendations…
The Civic Federation supports DuPage County's FY2007 budget because the County has reduced spending by over twenty-five percent since 2003, and has focused on cost reduction before seeking revenue increases. The Civic Federation cautions against any future policy of relying on property tax increases as the first line of attack for balancing the budget, and urges the County to explore consolidation and privatization, and to improve its budget transparency.
Reform and Rationalization Necessary to Avoid Continual Tax Increases The Civic Federation announced its support for the $469.5 million proposed FY2007 DuPage County preliminary budget on Monday, citing a combination of prudent fiscal management and spending cuts. The Federation recognized the County for working to curb spending by proposing a 2.8% reduction in spending over the previous year and a 25.7% reduction since FY2003. “The Civic Federation commends Chairman Schillerstrom for his…
The Civic Federation opposes the CTA's FY2007 budget because it relies on 110 million dollars in additional state support which has not been guaranteed, and provides no detailed contingency plan. The Federation recommends that the CTA seek relief in Springfield from some collective bargaining constraints that have failed to address the CTA's enormous employee pension and benefit costs.
