Government Efficiency and Transparency

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Cook County commissioners make independent health board permanent

This article is about a vote by Cook County commissioners to make the Cook County Health and Hospitals System independent board permanent. The article mentions the Civic Federation’s support for the move, which has streamlined staff levels…

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Cook County Health System’s Independent Board Becomes Permanent

In a victory for good government, the Cook County Board of Commissioners on June 1, 2010 voted 13-3 to make permanent the independent Board of Directors overseeing the…

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Cook County Transition Reports and Reform Proposals

Each year the Civic Federation publishes an analysis of Cook County’s proposed Executive Budget (see e.g. Cook…

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Eliminate Legislative Scholarships

On May 11, Governor Quinn vetoed Senate Bill 0365, a bill that would have limited but not…

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Cook County Health System Withstands Challenge to Purchasing Decision

The ordinance that established the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (Health System) in 2008 specifically granted its independent Board of Directors…

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Cook County Township Government FAQ Part 1

In Cook County, township government often gets overlooked amidst the various local governments including municipalities, school districts, park districts, community college districts and others. In order to shed light on this largely…

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Open County Initiative Takes Steps towards Improving County Transparency

Cook County has recently taken efforts to improve its transparency and accountability to the public through its Open County…

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Forest Preserve District of Cook County Separate Board of Commissioners: Legislative Update

The Civic Federation and the Friends of the Forest Preserves believe that the current governance structure of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County…

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Cook County’s New Online Check Register Gives Public Access to County Spending Records

This February Cook County launched a new online check register that gives the public access to how the County spends its…

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Clouds over Chicago TIF Slowly Parting

When the Chicago City Council approved the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Sunshine Amendment in April of 2009 that called for the creation of a consolidated and enhanced TIF information website, the City took a significant step towards…