Government Efficiency and Transparency

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Measuring the Productivity of the Chicago Transit Authority Over Time

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) recently released its FY2016 proposed budget. While the Civic Federation traditionally analyzes…

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More Government Consolidation and Efficiency Efforts in Illinois

The Civic Federation has long supported sensible legislation aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations in Illinois. The purpose of this blog is to summarize briefly consolidation legislation and…

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How Chicago Spent $400M On a Subway Superstation to Nowhere

This segment investigates the costs associated with an abandoned CTA “superstation,” a plan for non-stop airport train service left unfinished underneath Block 37 in the Chicago Loop. The Civic Federation said the expensive, unfinished…

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Gov. Rauner suggests bankruptcy for towns to fight pension woes

This article discusses a proposal by Governor Bruce Rauner to allow cities, towns and counties in Illinois to file for bankruptcy protection. The Civic…

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Annexing Areas of Unincorporated Cook County

Annexation is the extension of municipal boundaries into adjacent unincorporated areas and the corresponding expansion of city services to those newly incorporated areas. In Illinois, municipal governments have the authority to determine…

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The Geography of Cook County’s Unincorporated Areas

Cook County’s unincorporated areas account for 125.8 square miles, or 13.1% of the County’s total land area. (Of that land area, 60.26% is located within a forest preserve.) Residents of these areas rely on the County to provide municipal…

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Live free or die in unincorporated Cook County

This article discusses a report released by the Civic Federation that examines selected areas within Cook County that have never been incorporated by a…

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Civic Federation Report Examines Unincorporated Areas of Cook County

In-depth analysis also includes recommendations to facilitate incorporation A report released today by the Civic Federation examines selected areas within Cook County that have never been incorporated by a municipality. The full 208-page…

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Unincorporated Cook County: A Profile of Six Townships and Preliminary Recommendations to Facilitate Incorporation

To view a mobile friendly version of this report, click here.This report examines selected areas within Cook County that have never been…

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Unincorporated Cook County: Township Profiles

To view a mobile friendly version of this page, click here. As part of our full report on …