This article discusses the initiatives highlighted in the Civic Federation’s FY2017 State of Illinois Budget Roadmap necessary to stabilize Illinois’ finances. President of Civic Federation Laurence Msall remarks that the State has already spent most of its FY2016 revenue and that there is not enough time to close Illinois’ deficit this fiscal year.
This article covers the release of the Civic Federation’ s FY2017 State of Illinois Budget Roadmap, released in advance of Governor Bruce Rauner’s forthcoming budget address. Laurence Msall, President of the Civic Federation, is quoted in the article on the increasing lack of politically popular options the State has left in order to address its financial crisis.
Prior to the release of the Governor’s annual budget recommendation, the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation releases an analysis of the State of Illinois’ fiscal condition. This report presents the Civic Federation’s three-year plan to stabilize Illinois’ finances and addresses the State’s critical financial situation. More than seven months into the current fiscal year, the State of Illinois continues to operate without a budget. Under current revenue…
(CHICAGO) – In a report released today, the Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability proposes a comprehensive three-year plan that addresses Illinois’ ongoing financial crisis with painful but necessary spending limits and revenue enhancements. The full 55-page report is available here. More than seven months into the current fiscal year, the State of Illinois continues to operate without a budget. However, virtually all of the State’s projected FY2016 revenues will be…
View the Article This article discusses the continued fiscal strain faced by the City of Harvey, a south Chicago suburb, and a potential need for state intervention. Laurence Msall, President of the Civic Federation, explains the essential changes that have to be made by the city in order to move forward and also discusses the role of the State in this matter. Mentioned in the article is the Civic Federation’s proposal for a Local Government Protection Authority, which would create a quasi-…
The Civic Federation has long supported legislation aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations in Illinois by consolidating or abolishing redundant and/or anachronistic local governments. For example, on November 17, 2003, the Federation called on the State to abolish the Suburban Cook County Tuberculosis Sanitarium District. The District was ultimately dissolved by State statute 70 ICLS 920/5.4 in 2006. The Federation also released a report on June 30, 2008,…
A new report by Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration projects that the State of Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills could grow to $25.0 billion in FY2019 from $4.4 billion in FY2015 based on current tax and spending policies. The three-year forecast, issued on January 6, 2016, covers FY2017 through FY2019. It also includes actual budget results for FY2015, which ended on June 30, 2015, and estimated results for FY2016, which began on July 1, 2015. The projected growth in unpaid bills is not…
This article examines a ruling by the Illinois 4th District Appellate Court, finding that the 2012 law defining nonprofit hospitals’ property tax exemptions is unconstitutional. The particular ruling involves a case against the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois. Civic Federation President, Laurence Msall, discusses the potential implications of this ruling for hospitals statewide.
The following are the five most read posts presented by the Civic Federation blog in 2015. These posts examine a number of closely followed local government issues, ranging from City and County taxes to Chicago pension debt. Where Do Your Property Taxes Go? April 7, 2015 This blog post outlines how property taxes are distributed by describing how property tax dollars were proposed to be spent in FY2015 by the three largest governments in northeastern Illinois: the City of Chicago,…
This article covers two studies recently released by the Civic Federation. One report tracks the estimated full value of real estate in Cook County, which grew to $460 billion in 2013 after six consecutive years of decline. The other examines effective tax rates for selected municipalities in northeastern Illinois in 2013. According to research from the Civic Federation, and as mentioned in the article, aggregate property values have risen in the city of Chicago and in both the north and south…
