Civic Fed: Chicago Park District FY2015 Budget: Analysis and Recommendations
The Civic Federation supports the Chicago Park District’s proposed FY2015 operating budget of $448.6 million that accommodates increased employer pension contributions mandated by the District’s 2014 pension reform legislation while holding the property tax levy relatively flat and expanding programming.
The Civic Federation strongly supported the District’s work with its labor partners, the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor to enact comprehensive pension reform legislation in 2014. As a result, the Park District Pension Fund’s unfunded liability has already been reduced by $109.4 million, or 18.5%, and the actuarial funded ratio has increased by five percentage points to 45.5%. Prior to the reforms, the fund had been projected to run out of money within 10 years.
As this budget shows, the enactment of pension reform legislation is only the first step in a long process to stabilize the severely underfunded pension systems of our state and local governments. While pension contributions were accommodated for FY2015 without a major tax increase, the Civic Federation urges the District to develop a publicly-available long-term financial plan that will accommodate future pension contribution increases and work toward completely eliminating the remaining structural deficit.
Yahoo: U.S. jobless claims fall, unwind prior week's increase
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to an improving labor market.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped by 17,000 to a seasonally adjusted 297,000 for the week ended Nov. 29, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
The decline almost reversed the prior week’s increase which had pushed claims above 300,000 for the first time since early September. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims falling to 295,000 last week
Chicago Tribune: Fast-food workers march in Loop for higher minimum wage
Dozens of fast-food workers staged a demonstration in downtown Chicago early Thursday morning, saying the minimum wage should be raised to $15 an hour.
The group of protesters began rallying at a McDonald’s at 600 N. Clark St. and a BP gas station in the 600 block of North LaSalle Street.
Shortly afterward, the gas station closed its doors to cheers from the workers, according to WGN-TV footage.
Illinois Times: No health insurance exchange for Illinois
The Democratic-controlled Illinois House today opted not to call for a vote a bill that would have created a state-run insurance exchange under the federal insurance reforms of 2010. The House adjourned for the rest of the year this afternoon, meaning the state will likely miss out on about $270 million in federal funds it could have accessed to create a publicly-vetted insurance marketplace.
Although Illinois already partners with the federal government for its insurance exchange, the Affordable Care Act calls for states to create their own marketplaces. The idea is to allow easy comparison of health insurance plans that all meet basic standards of care. The plan was meant to foster creative solutions for lowering the cost of health insurance, but it has proved to be a means for Republicans to hamper the effectiveness of the Democrats’ signature law. The law has dogged elected Democrats ever since passage, with Republicans claiming the law is a socialist redistribution of wealth.
Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, sponsored Senate Bill 636 in the House to create a state-run health insurance exchange and a governing board to oversee it. Gabel decided not to call the bill for a vote today, saying she “ran out of time” to get enough support. Asked by a reporter to explain what factors prevented other members of the House from supporting the bill, Gabel walked away.
Daily Herald: Illinois city may sell 2-story house for $100
A house in the southern Illinois city of Du Quoin (doo-KOYN’) may soon be for sale for $100 if the buyer agrees to make renovations and live there seven years.
The City Council is set to decide Monday whether to put the home up for sale at the bargain price.
City attorney Aaron Atkins tells The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan the buyer must agree to make improvements to the roof, siding and exterior.
Reason: How New York City’s Steep Cigarette Taxes Create Crime and Grow Big Government
Back around the turn of the millennium New York had a mayor named Rudy Giuliani, who was sort of the Chris Christie of his day. He was a Republican, and a conservative if you’re grading on a curve, and he fancied himself a teller of hard truths. So when he and Virginia’s governor at the time, Jim Gilmore, had a difference of opinion about garbage shipments, Giuliani gave the commonwealth what-for.
Northwest Herald: Our View: No lame-duck session is good news
There is good news and bad news regarding state government this week.
The good news? It appears there will be no lame-duck session of the Legislature in January. Or as state Rep. Jack Franks put it: “There will be no shenanigans as there have been in the past.”
Daily Herald: Keep municipal business contracts public
As more municipalities get into areas that were once the strict purview of private business, questions arise as to what information is public and what is proprietary.
When a municipal-owned convention center attracts a trade show, are the incentives that were offered a matter of public record? When a city-owned theater is booking acts, should the contract negotiated be available for public review — down to the green M&M’s the star demands in her dressing room?
Chicago Inno: Chicago CIOs Expect to Increase IT Hiring In 2015, Study Says
Chief Information Officers in Chicago say they plan to hire more IT staff in the first half of 2015 than they did during the last six months, according to a study released Tuesday.
Technology staffing firm Robert Half Technology surveyed 100 Chicago-based CIOs and found that 17 percent plan to expand their IT departments in the first half of 2015, up from 13 percent in the last half of 2014. An additional 68 percent said they plan to fill only open IT roles.
“We’re seeing IT hiring across multiple industries in Chicago – from manufacturing to healthcare to financial services,” Randy Wolf, Chicago regional vice president of Robert Half Technology said in a news release. “Budgets are anticipated to be up in 2015, and as a result, many companies are prepared to add IT staff in the first two quarters to help their organizations run more efficiently. Technology professionals with specialized skills in C#, PHP, ASP.NET, VMware and Citrix will be in particularly high demand.”
Crains: New Illinois law enrolls 2.5 million workers in retirement plans
With not a vote to spare, Illinois lawmakers approved a bill that would enroll 2.5 million private-sector workers in a retirement savings program unless they opt out.
The action came yesterday evening when the state Senate voted 30-25 to ratify amendments to S.B. 2758, sponsored by Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston. Exactly 30 votes were needed; two senators did not vote.
Earlier in the day, the House passed the measure by a somewhat wider 67-45 margin. Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign the Biss bill into law.
Chicago Sun Times: Ex-chief of staff to Ald. Brookins pleads guilty to taking bribe
A former chief of staff to Ald. Howard Brookins pleaded guilty Thursday to taking a $7,500 cash bribe from an undercover FBI informant at a 2013 Christmas party at the alderman’s office.
Curtis Thompson Jr. initially quibbled with some of the details in his plea but eventually agreed to it in court, saying, “And I accepted the $7,500.”
At a meeting last year, the informant had allegedly passed a note to Brookins that said “12K to you for your letter of support” as he tried to land the alderman’s backing for a liquor license in the 21st Ward.
Chicago Tribune: Lawmakers pass jury duty pay increase, tougher penalties for 'revenge porn
As the General Assembly’s fall session wound down, state lawmakers sent the governor measures Wednesday that would raise jury duty pay, increase penalties for “revenge porn” and expand early voting in Illinois.
CBS Chicago: Aldermanic Office Workers Caught Doing Political Work On City Time
The City Council’s embattled Inspector General says workers in nearly half of Chicago’s aldermanic offices have been caught doing political work on the taxpayer’s time.
WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports he is not naming names, but legislative inspector general Faisal Khan says his office found 68 City Councilemployees in 24 ward offices potentially political doing work on city time. It is mostly challenging opponents’ petition signatures in the 2011 and 2012 elections.
“Of those 68 City Council employees that were identified as potentially engaging in prohibitive political activity on city time, we were able to conclude at least 18 beyond a preponderance of the evidence did in fact violate the law,” Khan said.
Daily Herald: Tollway speed limit going to 70 unless counties object
State lawmakers Wednesday voted to raise speed limits on Illinois tollways to 70 mph in urban areas.
The Illinois House overrode Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of the idea without debate. The Senate already did the same last month, so the proposal will become law next year.
Suburban county boards could opt out of the plan and keep tollway speed limits at 55 mph.
Chicago Sun Times: How bankers are set to profit from Rahm's preschool plan
As a public service announcement for the people of Chicago, I’d like to urge each and every one of you to beware of any claims by Mayor Emanuel about how he’s expanding preschool for poor kids, because I have a feeling he’s preparing the campaign ads as we speak.
The mayor has promised to offer pre-K programming to about 2,600 more children over the next four years, but this is most definitely not a boon for poor kids.
It is instead an ingeniously crafted public-relations stunt that could double the cost of expanding the program while transferring as much as $17 million from our schools to a bunch of fabulously rich people.
SJR: New ridesharing regulation bill passes House
The House Wednesday approved legislation that creates statewide regulations for drivers working for ridesharing services connecting passengers with drivers who use personal vehicles to give rides. It includes modified insurance requirements, background checks and a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and alcohol.
Democratic state Rep. Mike Zalewski of Riverside is sponsoring the legislation. He originally planned to call for an override of Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto on earlier ridesharing bills.
USA Today: Best- and worst-run states: Survey of all 50
How well run is your state? Assessing a state’s management quality is hardly easy. The current economic climate and standard of living in any given state are not only the results of policy choices and developments that occurred in the last few years, but can also be affected by decisions made decades ago, and by forces outside a state’s control.
Each year, 24/7 Wall St. attempts to answer this question by surveying various aspects of each state. To determine how well states are managed, we examine key financial ratios, as well as social and economic outcomes. This year, North Dakota is the best-run state in the country for the third consecutive year, while Illinois replaced California as the worst-run state.
Selecting appropriate criteria to compare the 50 states is difficult because there is so much variation among the states. As a result, policy decisions that may work in one state might not work in another. Some states are rich in natural resources, while others rely on high-skilled sectors such as technology and business services. Some depend disproportionately on one industry, while others’ economies are more balanced. Further, some states are more rural, while others are highly urbanized and densely populated.
Chicago Tribune: How Bruce Rauner can lead Illinois from ruin
on Nov. 4, Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner won more than an election. He won the opportunity to change our state’s kleptocratic political culture and make Illinois once again a hospitable place to raise a family and grow a business.
Rauner campaigned as a transformational leader. In his first 100 days as governor, we’re going to find out if he can go from Carhartt coats to competence.
Leadership guru and author Simon Sinek is fond of saying, “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” Rauner’s immediate challenge is to convey why he is taking the actions he takes. He needs to identify the destination if he wants Illinois families to follow him on the journey.