In a joint letter sent Tuesday, the Civic Federation, the Better Government Association and the League of Women Voters of Chicago urged Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago’s City Council to improve transparency and public access to information regarding legislation being considered by the council. The coalition also provided several recommendations for process improvements.The group has…
The Better Government Association, the Civic Federation and the League of Women Voters of Chicago have called on Chicago’s City Council to improve transparency around Council and committee agenda items and increase public access to and ability to participate in meetings.CHICAGO — A coalition of three local civic organizations—the Better Government Association, the Civic Federation and the League of Women Voters of Chicago—sent a joint letter on Tuesday to Mayor Brandon Johnson and City Council…
The Civic Federation issued a report in 2008 that reviewed the operations and finances of the Illinois International Port District (IIPD). In that report, A Call for the Dissolution and Restructuring of the Illinois International Port District, the Federation expressed concerns about:The District’s focus on recreational activities in its operation of a golf course rather than improving port operations;A decided lack of transparency and openness to the public in the District’s governance…
In recent years there has been renewed interest in developing and implementing a city charter for Chicago. A key theme in Ed Bachrach and Austin Berg’s 2019 book, The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big Cities, is the idea that a city charter could help reform and strengthen the City’s governmental institutions. The 2023 joint series from Crain’s Chicago Business and the University of Chicago Center for Effective Government, “One City, 50 Wards: Does the City That Works Actually…
Last week, the Civic Federation released its report, Financial Challenges Facing the Chicago Mayor and the City Council, which provided an overview of the City’s top financial challenges, options for additional revenue sources, financial management options to promote efficiencies and several recommendations. Among these recommendations was a call to expand the budget and authority of the City Council’s Office of Financial Analysis (COFA) as an independent source of information and analysis for…
Chicago Sun-Times
Throughout the 2023 Chicago mayoral campaign, Mayor Johnson stated that it was his intention to avoid increasing property taxes, citing concerns about the burden already placed on many Chicagoans. But, while the impact of property tax increases on individual homeowners and business owners is an important factor to consider, the new mayoral administration must also weigh the property tax in context of the City’s overall revenue needs and its competitiveness compared to other parts of the region…
Acting President Sarah Wetmore appears on WTTW's "Chicago Tonight"
This week, the Civic Federation released its annual analysis of the State of Illinois Budget for FY2024. Among the recommendations made to the Governor and lawmakers was a call for the Illinois General Assembly to increase transparency and accessibility by posting video archives of General Assembly floor and committee hearings. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), all 50 state legislatures now livestream floor proceedings, and most legislatures, including Illinois…
This blog examines online reporting of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending and performance measures by major U.S. cities. A key component of ARPA was a $350 billion infusion of federal funding to state, local and Tribal governments nationwide to support their pandemic recovery through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF). The U.S. Department of Treasury outlined permissible uses of SLFRF funds, including replacement of lost revenues, addressing negative economic…
