Gov. Bruce Rauner: Illinois can save $500M on purchases
Gov. Bruce Rauner: Illinois can save $500M on purchases
Streamlining the way Illinois buys goods and services could save the state $500 million annually.
Illinois EPA has stopped mailing vehicle emissions test notices
Illinois EPA has stopped mailing vehicle emissions test notices
Budget gridlock in Springfield has caused the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to stop mailing notices of vehicle-emissions-test requirements to vehicle owners.
Special Service Areas: Chicago’s little-known taxing bodies
Special Service Areas: Chicago’s little-known taxing bodies
Special Service Areas levy taxes on Chicagoans over and above the already steep taxes and fees imposed by the city.
Chicago Public Schools sells $725M in bonds with 8.5% interest rate
Chicago Public Schools sells $725M in bonds with 8.5% interest rate
The district’s borrowing does take pressure off of the district’s immediate cash-flow problem. However, it does nothing to solve the CPS’ long-term financial crisis and its structural imbalances – in fact it only makes things worse.
Emanuel promises another Chicago property-tax hike
Emanuel promises another Chicago property-tax hike
Mere months after passing the largest tax hike in modern Chicago history, Mayor Rahm Emanuel vows to hit residents with even higher property-tax bills, this time to bail out pension mismanagement by Chicago Public Schools officials – behavior tacitly endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union.
CPS’ postponed bond sale poses questions for Chicago and Emanuel
CPS’ postponed bond sale poses questions for Chicago and Emanuel
Amid CPS’ postponed $875 million bond sale, Chicagoans should question whether the district can fill its budget hole and whether Emanuel will stand up for Chicago taxpayers or give in to more teachers union demands.
Madigan’s budget solution is to make Illinois the most heavily taxed state in the Midwest
Madigan’s budget solution is to make Illinois the most heavily taxed state in the Midwest
Instead of spending reform and policies to promote economic growth, Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan proposes the same high-taxing, big-spending plans that got Illinois into its current fiscal mess.
Chicago Public Schools pulls bond sale
Chicago Public Schools pulls bond sale
Chicago Public Schools’ postponement of its $875 million bond sale indicates investors’ concerns over the financial state of the district.
Full text: Gov. Rauner’s 2016 State of the State address
Full text: Gov. Rauner’s 2016 State of the State address
Transcript, provided by Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office, of his 2016 State of the State address, as prepared for delivery, to the General Assembly on January 27, 2016.
Déjà vu: Illinois has billions in unpaid bills, Madigan calls for another tax hike
Déjà vu: Illinois has billions in unpaid bills, Madigan calls for another tax hike
Without fundamental reforms, the tax hike state Democrats want to impose will only drive Illinois further into decline.
Illinois’ fiscal problems drive away GE, spur talk of bankruptcy, pension reform
Illinois’ fiscal problems drive away GE, spur talk of bankruptcy, pension reform
The state must get its financial affairs in order by allowing municipal bankruptcy and enacting real pension reforms.
Rauner bringing Illinois government into 21st century with new tech agency
Rauner bringing Illinois government into 21st century with new tech agency
The Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology will tackle one of the state’s most important management problems – an outdated IT system that wastes taxpayer money.
The $53 million boogeyman: Illinois’ financial woes due to decades of mismanagement, not 7 months of gridlock
The $53 million boogeyman: Illinois’ financial woes due to decades of mismanagement, not 7 months of gridlock
Illinois paid $53 million more to borrow money through its Jan. 14 bond sale than it would have paid had politicians not let the state’s debt and government-worker pension obligations spiral out of control, while driving out taxpaying residents and businesses through tax hikes and costly regulations.
Bankruptcy talk hits Chicago: Illinois governor proposes bankruptcy for Chicago Public Schools
Bankruptcy talk hits Chicago: Illinois governor proposes bankruptcy for Chicago Public Schools
Gov. Bruce Rauner and Republican state lawmakers have proposed bankruptcy for Chicago Public Schools; Mayor Rahm Emanuel has rejected the idea of bankruptcy, repeating his demand that Illinois taxpayers bail out the struggling school district.