City of Chicago

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City of Chicago FY2016 Proposed Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the City of Chicago’s proposed $7.8 billion budget and necessary property tax increase as a long overdue action to address the City’s public safety pension funding crisis. The total proposed property tax…

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What is the General Homestead Property Tax Exemption?

On September 22, 2015, Mayor Rahm Emanuel released the City of Chicago FY2016 Budget, which includes a nearly $1.3 billion property tax levy, an increase of $427.7 million over the originally adopted FY2015 budget. The property tax levy…

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Indicators of Financial Condition: A Comparison of the City of Chicago to 12 Other U.S. Cities from FY2009 through FY2013

Financial Indicators Report, FY2009 to FY2013

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Op-ed: Coming Tuesday: Emanuel's make-or-break budget for Chicago

The following opinion piece by Civic Federation President Laurence Msall was published by the

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City of Chicago Releases Annual Financial Analysis for 2015

The City of Chicago recently released its Annual Financial Analysis for 2015. According to an…

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Taxing the Cloud: Chicago Department of Finance Applies Existing Taxes to Streaming and Cloud Services

UPDATE: On September 9, 2015, a lawsuit challenging the streaming services was filed on behalf of seven plaintiffs against the City of Chicago. The plaintiffs argue that because they subscribe to various streaming services, such as Netflix…

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City Council Approves Major Debt Restructuring and Future Capital Borrowing

On June 17, 2015 the Chicago City Council approved the largest borrowing of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s tenure, totaling $1.1 billion. The issuance pays for the current costs of refinancing the City of Chicago’s variable rate debt, ending its…

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Selected Consumer Taxes in the City of Chicago

This annual brief provides a compilation of selected consumer taxes, including rates and descriptions, in place in the City of Chicago as of January 1, 2015. It includes such taxes as the sales tax, amusement tax, lease tax, hotel tax,…

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Chicago Police and Fire Employer Pension Funding Changes Passed in Illinois General Assembly

In December 2010 the Illinois General Assembly passed and then Governor Quinn signed legislation (Public Act 96-1495) that created a new tier of pension…

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Proposed Gaming Expansion Revenues Likely Inadequate to Rescue Illinois and Chicago Finances

UPDATE: Subsequent to the publication of this blog,