Government Budgets

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House FY2012 Medicaid Budget Cuts Appropriations But May Not Reduce Spending

Surprising as it may seem, not all budget cuts reduce spending. A case in point is the FY2012 Medicaid budget passed by the Illinois House on May 13, 2011.…

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Fund Balance Policies of Chicago Area Governments

As explained previously in this blog a key indicator the Civic Federation uses to assess the financial health of local governments is the level of unreserved…

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Rahm Emanuel cutting budget by 75 mil.

In this article about the first budget cuts City of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has made to help restore solvency to the City’s finances, the Civic Federation says that the cuts are a good first step, but deeper reductions must be made to…

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Lawmakers need to learn meaning of 'less'

This editorial about the fiscal condition of the State of Illinois cites the Civic Federation’s analysis of…

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Rahm Emanuel: Can he handle Chicago’s ‘profound’ financial crisis?

This article discusses how City of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel may confront the City’s major budget issues. The Civic Federation explains that the problems were exacerbated by a long-standing unwillingness to reduce spending. The Federation…

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Daley Legacy Debated

This article discusses the issues City of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel must confront as he works to restore fiscal health to the City’s finances. The Civic Federation says that the City must reduce personnel costs and adequately fund its…

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Update on State Retiree Health Insurance: Report Cites Potential Savings

A new report estimates that the State of Illinois could save between $260 million and $300 million in FY2012 by increasing the…

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As Recession-Pinched Cities Trim Their Fire Department Staffing, Chicago Stands Pat

This article compares fire department staffing levels in Chicago to other large American cities and finds that the City of Chicago’s staffing level ranks third, behind New York City and Philadelphia. The Civic Federation says that the City…

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Chicago Park District Pension Fund Expected to Run Out of Money in 14 Years

An actuarial projection of the future solvency of the Chicago Park District’s pension fund has estimated that the fund will exhaust its assets in the year 2025.…

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State Budget Includes Paying for Pension Without Borrowing

Earlier this week the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation released its analysis of…