Taxes and Fees

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Civic Federation 2009 Legislative Priorities

The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2009 include public pension reform, the dissolving of the Illinois International Port District, creating a new governing board for the Cook County Forest Preserve District, requiring all…

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Civic Federation Urges Cook County Commissioners to Reject Borrowing That May Cost Taxpayers an Additional $214 Million

The Civic Federation urges Cook County Commissioners to reject the proposed $2.9 billion FY2009 County operating budget, which is based on $364.0 million in ill-considered borrowing for operational expenses.

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Cook County FY2009 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation opposes the Cook County FY2009 proposed budget because it is built on an unstable foundation of $364.0 million in borrowed funds to pay for operating expenses less than a year after the County raised its sales tax by…

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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District FY2009 Tentative Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the MWRD's FY2009 Budget because it minimizes the burden on taxpayers and demonstrates reasonable financial planning. The Civic Federation recommends that the District pursue numerous pension reforms in order…

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City of Chicago FY2009 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the FY2009 City of Chicago budget of $5.97 billion because it does not rely on raising property tax and begins the painful yet necessary step of reducing payroll by 2,618 full-time equivalent positions to…

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Chicago Park District FY2009 Operating Budget Recommendations: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the Chicago Park District’s FY2009 budget because it is a fiscally responsible plan and demonstrates a commendable emphasis on cost containment and avoids a property tax increase for the fifth consecutive year…

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Chicago Transit Authority FY2009 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the CTA’s FY2009 budget of $1.3 billion as a responsible short-term plan to provide critical mass transit services to the Chicagoland population. The CTA’s proposed fare increases of 25 to 50 cents per ride,…

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Forest Preserve District of Cook County FY2009 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the Forest Preserve District's proposed $193.6 million budget because the District will freeze its property tax levy this year and maintains a prudent fund balance. However, the Federation warns that the…

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DuPage County FY2009 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation offers qualified support for the DuPage County $505 million FY2009 budget proposal. Although DuPage County has proposed a reasonable spending plan that freezes property tax, our support is qualified because the budget…

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Effective Property Tax Rates: Selected Municipalities in Northeastern Illinois, 1999-2006

This report compares property tax rates in selected communities around metropolitan Chicago, and finds that effective rates for commercial property in Chicago declined by nearly 60 percent between tax years 1999 and 2006.