Government Budgets

.

Civic Federation Budget Recommendations for Chicago-Area Local Governments

Last week the Civic Federation marked the end of the FY2014 budget season with a blog that summarized the proposed budgets for the eight local governments the Federation…

.

FY2014 Budget Season Summary

Last week marked the end of the FY2014 budget season for the eight local governments monitored…

.

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District FY2014 Tentative Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s tentative budget of $1.2 billion for its responsible pension practices and transparent long-term planning. The District is prudently basing its pension…

.

Civic Federation Praises MWRD for Responsible Pension Funding

In an analysis released today, the Civic Federation supports the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s (MWRD) FY2014 Tentative Budget of $1.2 billion for its responsible pension practices and transparent long-term planning. The full 50…

.

What Does State Reform Mean For Chicago’s Pensions?

This article discusses the significant challenges City of Chicago pension funds still face after Illinois legislators passed pension reform legislation on December 3 that applies only to the State of Illinois pension funds. The Civic…

.

FY2014 Budget Prepares Chicago Park District for Pending Pension Reforms Next Year

In an analysis released today, the Civic Federation announced its support for the Chicago Park District’s proposed FY2014 budget of $425.6 million which continues the District’s multi-year effort to reduce its structural deficit. The…

.

Chicago Park District FY2014 Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the $425.6 million Chicago Park District budget for continuing the District’s multi-year effort to reduce its structural deficit. The proposal includes a broad-based property tax increase after eight years of…

.

Chicago Council Passes Balanced Budget Overshadowed By Looming Pension Cliff

(The full text of this article is only available to the publication’s subscribers.) This article covers the City Council’s November 26 vote to approve the FY2014 City of Chicago Budget. The…

.

State of Illinois Level Principal Rule Helps Keep Total Debt Cost Low

A provision of the General Obligation Bond Act in Illinois requires the State to structure its bonds so that equal amounts of the funds borrowed are repaid in each year of the loan. This structure, called level principal, benefits the…

.

Editorial: Chicago City Council needs a finance team

This editorial discusses an ordinance that would create an Office of Financial Analysis for the City Council to evaluate budget proposals separately from the Mayor’s advisory team. The Civic Federation…