The Civic Federation supports Assessor Houlihan's proposal to reduce Class 3 assessment levels from 26% to 20% of market value over three years, but cautions that this reduction is likely to have only a very modest effect on the supply of…
This issue brief provides a "plain English" description of how GASB 43 and 45 will require government financial reporting on non-pension post-employment benefits (OPEB). It is illustrated with preliminary estimates of unfunded OPEB…
The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2006 include public pension reform, elimination of the Suburban Cook County Tuberculosis Sanitarium District, property tax exemptions and assessment reform, revision of the Regional…
The Civic Federation opposed Cook County's $3.076 billion budget because it failed to include long term management efficiencies and cost reduction measures.
This report compares total property tax bills in selected communities in metropolitan Chicago, and finds that the effective rate for most communities studied fell between 1999 and 2003.
This report provides a trend analysis of indicators that measure the financial health and performance of 9 major local government pension funds from 1998 to 2003. It finds a combined $9.7 billion in unfunded liabilities for the nine funds.
The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2005 include the Suburban Cook County Tuberculosis Sanitarium District, property tax exemptions and assessment reform, public employee pensions, the Regional Transportation Authority Act,…
The Civic Federation opposed the County’s $3.04 billion FY2005 budget because it does not reduce operational expenditures or implement increased efficiencies and it is balanced by means of two new and unnecessary revenue enhancements: a 2…
This table provides an estimate of the total market value of property in Cook County and shows how property value is spread among the City of Chicago, the northern and the southern suburbs. In tax year 2003, the City of Chicago full value…
This issue brief provides a "plain English" description of how GASB 34 has increased transparency in government financial reporting. It is illustrated with examples from the City of Chicago's FY2002 CAFR, as well as State of Illinois and…
