Government Efficiency and Transparency

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Poll: Should Township Government Be Eliminated?

This article examines recent efforts to dissolve township governments in Evanston, Palatine and Wheeling. In its 2013 Legislative Priorities the Civic…

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City Council's Proposed Independent Budget Office, A Civic Federation Recommendation

On December 12, 2012, an ordinance to create an independent budget office was…

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Civic Federation Supports FY2013 Forest Preserve District Budget: Negative Long-term Trends Include Significant Decline in Pension Funding

In a report released today, the Civic Federation supports the $190.3 million proposed FY2013 Forest Preserve District of Cook County budget for its discipline in identifying non-tax revenue sources as an alternative to increasing the…

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Forest Preserve District of Cook County FY2013 Budget Analysis

The Civic Federation supports the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s FY2013 proposed $190.3 million budget for its discipline in identifying non-tax revenue sources to hold the property tax levy flat for the fourth year in a row…

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Lack of Transparency in Forest Preserve District’s 2012 Bond Issuance

In June 2012 the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the issuance of $110 million in bonds to finance…

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Cook County Modernization Project—Update

In 2010 the Civic Federation embarked on the Cook County Modernization Project to provide a roadmap for creating a county government that is more efficient, less…

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Update on Recommendations for a Financially Sustainable City of Chicago

On June 30, 2011 the Civic Federation released Recommendations for a Financially Sustainable City of Chicago. The report offered a comprehensive set of forty recommendations to…

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Civic Federation Urges Sufficient Time for Public Input on Local Government Budgets

In its recent analyses of the $5.7 billion FY2013 budget proposed by Chicago Public Schools and the $659.5 million FY2013 budget proposed by the City Colleges of Chicago, the Civic Federation expressed concern about the limited time…

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Civic Federation Urges Governor to Sign Legislation to Require Timely County Financial Reporting

UPDATE: On Thursday, August 2, 2012, Governor Quinn signed legislation to require all counties to release their financial statements within six months of the end of their fiscal year as…

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Chicago City Council Approves Infrastructure Trust

On April 24, 2012, the City Council passed an ordinance…