With by far the largest number of local governments in the nation, the Civic Federation has long advocated for a sensible approach to consolidation and collaboration to reduce the number of local governments in Illinois and improve their effectiveness and efficiency. Consolidation of local governments in Illinois is a Civic Federation legislative priority. The purpose of this blog is to summarize the number and types of local governments in Cook County and its five collar counties: DuPage,…
Proposal aims to reverse damage done by two-year state budget impasse (CHICAGO) In an analysis released today, the Civic Federation announced its support of the City Colleges of Chicago’s proposed FY2018 operating budget. The $442.6-million budget is a prudent plan to begin to stabilize the District’s finances following an unprecedented two-year State of Illinois budget impasse that severely impacted institutions of higher learning. The District does not plan to increase tuition rates…
Click here to read the full report. The Civic Federation supports the City Colleges of Chicago’s proposed FY2018 operating budget. The $442.6 million budget is a prudent plan to begin to stabilize the District’s finances following an unprecedented two-year State of Illinois budget impasse that severely impacted institutions of higher learning. As mentioned in the full report, the District is not planning to increase tuition rates or its property tax levy in FY2018 to address the costs of…
Links to each presentation can be found within the forum's agenda below: --- 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. — Registration and Continental Breakfast Badge Pickup and Security Inspection in the Lobby 8:00 a.m. — Welcome Kent Swanson, Civic Federation Chairman, Executive Vice President, Riverside Investment and Development 8:05 a.m. — Balance Sheet Measures of Fiscal Capacity William Testa, Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Realty-…
While Illinois lawmakers remain gridlocked over a State budget plan, another area shows promise of compromise in Springfield: government consolidation. With over 6,900 local government units, Illinois has more units of government than any other state. The multiplicity of local units of government, many of which are funded predominantly by property taxes, is often cited as a reason for high property tax rates in Illinois. The issue of government consolidation receives bipartisan support by…
The Cook County Board of Commissioners has reorganized its board meeting proceedings in an effort to streamline board meetings. Beginning in January 2017, the Consent Calendar portion of the meeting is now held on the second Tuesday of each month rather than the second Wednesday when County Board meetings are generally held. The change is intended to reduce excessively long meetings. The Consent Calendar is a compilation of resolutions concerning deaths, anniversaries and congratulations for…
On November 8, 2016, the Cook County electorate voted on the binding referendum to merge the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds and the Office of the Cook County Clerk. The Cook County Board of Commissioners voted in June 2016 to present the referendum question to Cook County residents on the general election ballot. The merging of the offices will take place by December 7, 2020. Of the 1.5 million registered voters in suburban Cook County, just over one million cast ballots on the…
This article reports on a recent Civic Federation issue brief that includes a number of recommendations on ways the Chicago Public Schools can increase transparency. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall says that the Federation has always paid some attention to Chicago Public Schools’ transparency and notes that extra scrutiny is now needed because of the District’s troubled finances.
This brief, developed by a Civic Federation Task Force, features a number of recommendations on ways the Chicago Public Schools can increase government transparency and accountability, including transparency in meetings, website transparency and budget presentation and format transparency. The Civic Federation believes that transparency is essential to good government. Government transparency enables citizens to hold officials accountable for policy decisions and spending priorities. A lack of…
This segment examines a binding Cook County referendum on the November ballot that would merge the offices of County’s Clerk and Recorder of Deeds. During the segment Civic Federation President Laurence Msall discusses with host Phil Ponce the efficiencies and cost savings that a merger would create and notes that it would help spur modernization of Cook County government.
