The Civic Federation supported some of the resolutions before the Northeastern Illinois Regional Transportation Task Force. It urged the Task Force to consider the criteria of sound fiscal policy, improved service, and continued federal funding in its deliberations over the resolutions.
The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2004 include the Suburban Cook County Tuberculosis Sanitarium District, property tax assessment appeals, Neighborhood Preservation Homeowners' Exemption, public employee pensions, and pension obligation bonds.
This table provides an estimate of the total market value of property in Cook County and shows how property value is spread among the City of Chicago, the northern and the southern suburbs.
The Civic Federation offered qualified support for Cook County Assessor Houlihan's proposal to limit homestead assessment increases to 7% annually. The proposal is contained in Amendment #2 to Senate Bill 1498, and would replace the current homeowner property tax exemption.
The Civic Federation commended the MWRD for its FY2004 budget of $848.3 million because the District reduced its property tax levy by $2.7 million from the tentative FY2004 budget proposal, it drew down its Corporate Fund balance from a high of $77.7 million in FY2001 to an estimated $41 million in FY2004 and personnel has been reduced by over 240 positions, or 10.2%, in the last ten years.
This report presents a macro-level overview of expenditure, revenue, debt and personnel trends of 1,043 governments in Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, and Will Counties. It includes FY1997 and FY2000 comparative information for counties, municipalities, school districts and other special districts.
The Civic Federation opposed the County’s $2.99 billion FY2004 budget because it does not reduce operational expenditures or implement increased efficiencies and It is balanced by means of two new and unnecessary revenue enhancements: an increase in the County’s home rule sales tax from 0.75% to 1.0% and a new 4% personal property lease transaction tax that will generate $58 million in FY2004.
The Civic Federation was disappointed in the Forest Preserve District’s FY2004 operating budget of $140.8 million for several reasons. There was insufficient time--only 4 working days--permitted this year for public review of the budget. The budget fails to significantly build upon the cost cutting measures enacted last year and implement additional management reforms that will improve the quality of service delivery in the long-term.
The Civic Federation was unable to support this proposal because a lack of both available information and formal legislative language to which we could refer prevented us from fully analyzing the consequences of this property tax exemption.
This report analyzes the Suburban Cook County TB Sanitarium District and finds that this special taxing District is no longer necessary because of comparatively inefficient delivery of services and questionable financial management. The Civic Federation recommends that the TB District be dissolved, its levy eliminated, and its responsibilities and assets transferred to Cook County.
