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Chicago's FY2026 Proposed Budget: A Stumbling Start

By Grant McClintock and Daniel VeseckyUpdate 11/6/2025: On November 5, S&P Global Ratings adjusted its outlook on Chicago’s credit rating from stable to negative. Read the Civic Federation's…

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Civic Federation Statement on City of Chicago FY2026 Budget Proposal

Statement from the Civic Federation in response to the City of Chicago FY2026 Proposed Budget."The proposed FY2026 budget repeats past mistakes and fails to provide progress toward sustainable, structural solutions to the City’s immense…

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Setting the Stage for the FY2026 Chicago Budget

by Grant McClintock Download the report summarySee the Civic Federation's…

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Improving Chicago’s Budget Process: The Case for a City Charter

by Grant McClintockChicago is the only major city in the United States that operates without a constitution, which, for cities, is referred to as a charter. This absence is not just an anomaly; it fundamentally impacts every aspect of our…

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Divided Waters: Addressing the Fragmentation of Water Governance in Northeastern Illinois

Click here to read the full report…

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Local Pension Dashboard

The Civic Federation’s Local Pension Dashboard is intended for use as a resource and educational tool to increase the accessibility of local pension fund data. The dashboard reports metrics for the ten major local pension funds within the…

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Mayor’s Budget Working Group Report: The Start of a Long Overdue Conversation

Read the Civic Federation's statement on the Budget Working Group's Report here.The City of Chicago faces one of its largest…

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Setting the Record Straight: How Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Actually Interacts with the Chicago Public Schools

by Daniel VeseckyTax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts are a complex, often misunderstood part of Chicago’s tax structure. TIF Districts segment and dedicate a portion of property tax collections within a designated geographic area to…

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What is a City Charter, and How Could Having One Help Chicago?

by Grant McClintockChicago is the only major city in the United States that operates without a constitution, which for cities is referred to as a charter. Chicago’s outlier status in how it governs itself is reflected in structural…

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Building a Modern, Equitable Revenue System for Chicago

The following is testimony delivered by Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson to the Chicago City Council Subcommittee on Revenue at a June 3, 2025 subject matter hearing to discuss maintaining Grocery Tax in City of Chicago, as well as…