The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) recently released its FY2016 proposed budget. While the Civic Federation traditionally analyzes features common to all local government budgets, our analyses of the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) budgets include a review of the Authority’s productivity measurement data. The Civic Federation uses expenditures, ridership and miles traveled data provided by the CTA to gain insight into changes in productivity. The Civic Federation uses two measures to assess…
This article discusses the Chicago Transit Authority’s proposed FY2016 budget in advance of the November 16 budget hearing. It cites the Civic Federation’s FY2016 CTA Budget Analysis. The analysis supports the budget overall but warned against relying on funding from Illinois, particularly given that the CTA did not receive its full State subsidy in FY2015.
This article reviews a borrowing plan for the State of Illinois that would pay for State bills by issuing bonds with funds withdrawn from Illinois Finance Authority Board investments. The Civic Federation said the plan is indicative of the State’s inefficient operations, and any additional borrowing only exacerbates Illinois’ debt.
This article discusses the ongoing budget impasse in Illinois—the State is now in its fifth month without a budget. It uses information from the Civic Federation’s FY2016 State of Illinois Budget Roadmap to analyze the rise in the State’s backlog of unpaid bills following the decline in revenue the State experienced beginning January 1, 2015, due to the partial rollback of the Illinois income tax.
Reasonable Plan for Next Year, but Underfunded Pensions Remain a Concern In an analysis released today, the Civic Federation announced it supports the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s proposed FY2016 budget of $190.3 million. The District proposes a reasonable, balanced budget without using fund balance reserves for operations while holding the District property tax levy relatively flat. The full 57-page analysis is available here. “The Civic Federation is pleased to see the Forest…
The Civic Federation supports the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s proposed $190.3 million budget. The proposed plan is reasonable and balanced, does not use fund balance reserves for operations and holds the property tax levy relatively flat at a time when many other local governments have sought large revenue increases. However, the District’s underfunded pensions remain a concern and the pension fund will soon require an infusion of revenue, even if the proposed reform package…
Holds Fares Flat, but Could be Complicated by State Budget Impasse In an analysis released today, the Civic Federation announced it supports the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) proposed FY2016 operating budget of $1.47 billion. The budget represents an effective effort to actively manage costs and improve service levels. The full 52-page analysis is available here. “The CTA is continuing to benefit from reforms made in its past four budget cycles,” said Laurence Msall, president of the…
The Civic Federation supports the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) FY2016 operating budget of nearly $1.47 billion. The budget represents a continued effort to actively manage costs and improve service levels. The CTA is continuing to benefit from reforms made in its past four budget cycles. This budget restores some express bus service that was cut in 2010 due to budget constraints, enhances bus service in the central business district and invests in technologies that improve the transit…
In this interview on the City of Chicago’s Proposed FY2016 Budget with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Mayor discusses the Civic Federation’s analysis of the budget. The Civic Federation supported the budget and necessary property tax increase as a long overdue action to address the City’s public safety pension funding crisis.
This segment asks whether Illinois can run out of money while the State’s budget impasse continues. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall explained that the State is still receiving revenue, but that revenue can only be spent if there are existing budgetary appropriations or other spending authority. It cites a recent Civic Federation blog post on State revenue.
