Government Budgets

.

Study: Ill. In fiscal mire

This article about a report on the States in the worst fiscal condition by the Pew Center on the States quotes the Civic Federation in its profile of Illinois’…

.

CTA Has Dodged Another Fare Hike

This news segment examines Governor Quinn’s deal with the Chicago Transit Authority that will avert a fare increase through increased borrowing. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall says the deal may be a bad one in the long run,…

.

Cook County commissioners vote to cut in half Stroger sales tax increase

This article describes the politics surrounding a vote by the Cook County Board of Commissioners to reduce the county sales tax by a half-cent. It cites the Civic Federation’s analysis of the County’s proposed FY2009 budget.

.

Watchdog group pans Daley budget

This article discusses the Civic Federation’s analysis of the City of Chicago’s FY2010 proposed budget. The Federation opposed the budget because off its reliance on reserve funds to make up a fiscal shortfall.

.

City OKS $16M settlement to Bensenville to move forward with O’Hare expansion

This article mentions a recent City budget hearing at which the Civic Federation presented its analysis of the City of Chicago FY2010 proposed budget.

.

Protecting Proceeds From Long-Term Asset Leases

In two previous blog posts [here and…

.

The “Long” and “Short” of City Asset Deals

In FY2010 the City of Chicago proposes to close a majority of its FY2010 $520 million budget deficit with proceeds it received from the long-term leases of its parking meters and the Chicago Skyway. This begs the question: how has the…

.

Chicago's FY2010 Budget Relies Too Heavily on Long-Term Reserve Funds Says Civic Federation; Short-Sighted Plan Ignores Future Deficits

The Civic Federation opposes the proposed $6.14 billion FY2010 City of Chicago budget because it is unsustainable and relies predominantly on one-time reserve funds to close its $520 million deficit. The Federation’s full 69-page analysis…

.

City of Chicago FY2010 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation opposes the FY2010 City of Chicago budget of $6.14 billion because it is unsustainable and relies too heavily on one-time reserve funds to close a $520.0 million budget deficit. The proposed drastic draw down of long-…

.

Governor Quinn’s Deal with the CTA and RTA is Fiscally Irresponsible

The Civic Federation has enormous concerns about the fiscal risks associated with Governor Quinn’s “deal” to avoid CTA fare increases. Under the proposal, the Regional Transportation Authority will issue General Obligation bonds worth $83…