Government Budgets

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Civic Federation Supports City Colleges’ FY2018 Budget

Proposal aims to reverse damage done by two-year state budget impasse (CHICAGO) In an analysis released today, the Civic Federation announced its support of the City Colleges of Chicago’s proposed FY2018 operating budget. The $442.6-…

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City Colleges of Chicago FY2018 Tentative Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

Click here to read the full report. The Civic Federation supports the City Colleges of Chicago’s proposed FY2018 operating budget…

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CPS buys short-term relief with bonds that will carry costs for decades

This article examines the $850 million in interest costs that the Chicago Public Schools will have to pay on a recent $500 million loan. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall explains that the plan is an expensive way of operating…

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Illinois Issues: The Experts' Take On The Budget

In this segment, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall discusses key aspects of the State of Illinois’ FY2018 budget and the challenges the State still faces. He says the most important aspect of Illinois having a budget is that it…

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Higher Education Funding Shortfall Persists Despite New Budget

Higher education was one of the areas hit hardest by the State of Illinois’ two-year budget impasse. This blog post examines how higher education fares under the…

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Illinois Legislature Approves Measure Allowing Chicago and Other Local Governments to Increase 911 Communications Surcharge

On July 1, 2017, both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly voted to override the Governor’s veto of…

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Illinois Ends Two-Year Budget Standoff

The State of Illinois ended its two-year budget impasse on July 6, 2017, enacting a $36.1 billion spending plan with about $5 billion in tax increases. To break the logjam, the General Assembly narrowly overrode Governor Bruce Rauner’s…

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Coverage of Civic Federation’s reaction to the State of Illinois’ FY2018 Budget Plan

In the following news pieces, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall discusses details of the State of Illinois’ FY2018 budget plan and the impact the budget will have on the State’s finances. He says that the enactment of the State’s…

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Running on empty: How Detroit's bankruptcy judges see Illinois

This segment discusses whether Chicago is on the same financial path as Detroit and whether bankruptcy is an option for the City. Laurence Msall, President of the Civic Federation, says that Chicago has a lot of great assets and strong…

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$70,000 a day in interest — the cost of another short-term CPS budget solution

This article discusses the high interest rate that the Chicago Public Schools will have to pay on $387 million in loans that the District is using as a short-term fix for its financial crisis. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall…