This article discusses the high cost of providing free health benefits to elected officials in suburban townships. The Civic Federation notes that providing free health care is not a best practice for the private sector or modern…
Governor Pat Quinn’s proposed FY2012 budget for the State of Illinois features additional borrowing and an overall increase in spending, despite steep spending reductions in the area of human services. The…
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 and actionable recommendations…
The Civic Federation supports the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s FY2011 Tentative Budget of nearly $1.0 billion. The tentative budget is a $681.1 million, or 41.1% decrease over final adjusted FY2010 appropriations. This decline…
CHICAGO — The Civic Federation supports the nearly $1 billion tentative budget proposed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). The District will reduce staffing levels and Corporate Fund spending as a…
The Civic Federation supports the Chicago Park District’s FY2011 proposed operating budget of $397.6 million. The District is proposing to hold the property tax levy flat and maintain expenditures at close to FY2010 levels by using…
The Chicago Park District is to be commended for holding its property tax levy flat for the sixth straight year, says a Civic Federation report released today. The District will rely on non-tax revenues and a slight cut in staffing levels…
This article compares the different statements made by think tank organizations about the extent of Illinois’ fiscal issues. The Civic Federation says that while State employees are not overpaid, they do receive very generous retirement…
The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2011 include public pension reform, requiring state government to develop and implement a capital improvement plan, the dissolving of the Illinois International Port District, creating a…
After experiencing several years of poor market conditions, three of the five Illinois State employee retirement funds have reduced their expected rate of return on investments. This rate, also known as the discount rate, is used to…
