On February 14, 2012, the Civic Federation blogged about its support for a proposed resolution that would put the abolishment of the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds and the transfer of its operations to the County Clerk to a countywide referendum. The public hearing to consider the proposed resolution scheduled for that day was never convened due to a lack of quorum. In order for the Finance Committee of the Cook County Board of Commissioners to conduct the public hearing, nine…
(See addendum: "No Quorum for Cook County Public Hearing") On February 14, 2012 the Finance Committee of the Cook County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on a proposed resolution requesting a countywide referendum to abolish the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds and transfer its operations to the County Clerk. The Civic Federation recommended the streamlining move in the Cook County Modernization Report published in October 2010 as a way to eliminate costly…
In its most recent monthly briefing, the State of Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) published new revenue projections for FY2012 and an early preview of its FY2013 projections, both reduced from previous forecasts. COGFA is a bipartisan joint legislative commission that provides analysis on State economic issues and the fiscal impact of legislative initiatives as well as reports on the State budget throughout the year. As discussed in the Civic Federation’…
(The full text of this article is available only to the publication’s subscribers.) This article reports that laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly are rarely accompanied by “fiscal notes” which detail a law’s financial impact on the State. The Civic Federation said members of the General Assembly should demand independently prepared fiscal notes to understand the financial impact of pending legislation.
Municipalities and other local governments in the United States continue to struggle financially in the aftermath of the Great Recession. While recession has technically ended, revenues for many governments have not returned to pre-recession levels and expenditures and liabilities continue to grow. This has led to much discussion about the possibility of local governments filing for bankruptcy protection. Since Congress passed the Municipality Bankruptcy Act in 1937, about 624 municipal…
The State of Illinois FY2013 Budget Roadmap, issued on January 30, 2012 by the Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability, relies on a five-year budget analysis by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS). The HFS analysis is now available on the website of the State’s Budgeting for Results Commission. The HFS analysis sheds light on the complexity of Medicaid funding and provides an unusually long term perspective on State finances. The analysis…
This article examines the State of Illinois FY2013 Budget Roadmap released January 30th by the Civic Federation’s Illinois research institute. The analysis warns that the State could see its backlog of unpaid bills rise to $34.8 billion by FY2017. The Civic Federation urges immediate action to address unsustainable trends in the State’s pension and Medicaid systems.
In this editorial the Chicago Tribune urges Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to address the future of the State’s budget in light of the scheduled partial sunset of the temporary income tax increase in FY2015. The editorial cites budget projections and recommendations made in the Civic Federation’s State of Illinois FY2013 Budget Roadmap.
Civic Federation President Laurence Msall is interviewed about the State of Illinois FY2013 Budget Roadmap released by the Federation’s Illinois research institute. The Civic Federation urges immediate action by the Governor and General Assembly to address unsustainable trends in the State’s pension and Medicaid programs.
Civic Federation President Laurence Msall discusses the Federation’s State of Illinois FY2013 Budget Roadmap in this roundtable discussion with Anders Lindall, Public Affairs Director of AFSCME and John Bouman, President of the Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law. The Civic Federation warns that the State of Illinois could face an unprecedented $34.8 billion backlog of unpaid bills if action is not taken immediately by the Governor and General Assembly to stabilize the State’s finances in…
