The Governmental Research Association (GRA), a national group of organizations and individuals engaged in government research and public policy, convened in Worcester, Mass., in late July for its 2023 annual conference. The conference provides GRA members with an opportunity to network, share research, hear from expert panels and receive recognition for their work through a peer-reviewed awards process. The following is a recap of the sessions covered at the conference. To learn more about the…
Following Cook County voters’ approval of a higher property tax levy for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC) via a referendum question on the November 2022 ballot, the Illinois General Assembly last week passed a law that will change the District’s funding schedule for its pension plan to an actuarially-sound 30-year plan with a 100% funding goal. It now awaits the Governor’s signature. Among other priorities, the increased annual funding of approximately $40.9 million approved…
The Illinois General Assembly passed a series of amendments during veto session in early December to the SAFE-T (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity – Today) Act, the criminal justice omnibus law enacted in early 2021. The SAFE-T Act (Public Act 101-0652) was originally passed by the Illinois General Assembly in January 2021 and signed by Governor Pritzker in February 2021. For details of the provisions included in the SAFE-T Act, see the Civic Federation’s summary. Two subsequent…
In a position statement released yesterday, the Civic Federation announced it supports passage of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s (FPDCC) property tax extension limitation law (PTELL) referendum that will be on the November 8 election ballot for voters in Cook County. The referendum question asks Cook County voters whether the Forest Preserve District’s property tax limiting rate should by increased by 0.025% in property tax levy year 2022, to a total rate of 0.076% of the…
With the increasingly polarized political environment and the November 2022 mid-term election approaching, the debate about pretrial reforms in Illinois has been at the forefront in the news media and on social media. The pretrial reforms, referred to as the Pretrial Fairness Act, were passed via Public Act 101-0652, known as the SAFE-T Act (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today). Much of the information being circulated and even promoted by some government bodies has been…
Bring Chicago Home, a grassroots coalition dedicated to securing an earmarked revenue stream to combat homelessness, has launched a campaign to put a referendum on the City of Chicago ballot asking voters to approve an increase in the Chicago real estate transfer tax (RETT) for high-end properties selling for over $1 million. Properties valued at less than $1 million would continue to be taxed at current rates. Changes to the current tax must be approved by voters in a referendum or through a…
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has selected Bally’s Corporation to develop a mega casino in the River West neighborhood at the site of the Chicago Tribune’s current printing plant at Chicago and Halsted Avenues. In addition to the casino, Bally’s proposes the development of a theater, an outdoor music venue, a hotel, an extension of the Riverwalk, a park, restaurants and other amenities. The goal is to open the casino in 2025. A temporary casino is slated to open during construction at the…
Update (May 24, 2022): The Cook County Finance Committee held a special meeting on the elected officials’ salary ordinance and approved the salary increases laid out in substitute ordinance 22-2825. It was also ratified by the Board of Commissioners. The elected officials’ salaries will increase by 10% in FY2023, and the lesser of 3% or the rate of CPI in each year thereafter. The Civic Federation and the League of Women Voters of Cook County provided testimony in support of salary…
On December 15, 2021, the Chicago City Council approved an ordinance (SO2021-3243) to regulate sports wagering in the City. The new legislation lifts a previous City ban on sports betting and allows for a 2% tax on gross sports betting revenues. It also allows for the opening of sports betting locations (also known as “sportsbooks”) in and around five of the City’s sports stadiums, among other locations. A landmark 2018 ruling by the United States Supreme Court struck down a federal law…
The Chicago City Council approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) on September 14, 2021. The FOP is the union representing the approximately 11,000 police officers for the City of Chicago, who make up the majority of approximately 13,000 Chicago Police Department employees. The new contract replaces the most recent collective bargaining agreement for police officers that expired on June 30, 2017. Contracts for the approximately 1,500 police…
