Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Teach for a day, get a pension for life: Another reason to fix Illinois' constitution
The Illinois Supreme Court once again has illuminated for Illinois taxpayers the need to amend the rigid pension clause of the state constitution. The justices on Thursday upheld as constitutional a teacher pension for a retired lobbyist who substitute taught for one day.
Sub for a day. Pension for life. It’s outrageous. The Supreme Court continues to interpret the pension clause to the extreme.
Chicago Tribune: Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot and Chicago aldermen beginning a beautiful friendship ... or not
When Lori Lightfoot pounds the gavel at the front of City Council chambers after getting sworn in as Chicago’s mayor next month, she said she’ll be filling a role as “the vessel into which people poured their hopes that we can have a different kind of city,” free from the kind of pay-to-play corruption that allegedly has been swirling around the council once again.
But looking back at her will be 50 aldermen feeling their oats after election wins, who have their own ideas about how best to serve their wards and plenty of insights to offer the political neophyte mayor about how she should collaborate with them on tackling Chicago’s many daunting problems.
Chicago Sun-Times: Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot asks for talks by Finance Committee on Lincoln Yards, The 78
Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot on Sunday night urged the city’s Finance Committee chief to “address major concerns” ahead of Monday’s planned vote on two massive projects, Lincoln Yards and The 78, citing a “deeply flawed process that has led us to this moment.”
“I’m calling on Finance Committee Chairman Patrick O’Connor to make tomorrow’s Finance Committee meeting a subject matter hearing to address major concerns about Lincoln Yards and The 78 on the record and in public view,” Lightfoot said in a statement released Sunday night.
Western Springs The Doings: Western Springs wants cut of sales tax from Tollway oasis, but Hinsdale president says move is 'just a money grab'
Hinsdale Village President Thomas Cauley Jr. is calling proposed state legislation that could give Western Springs a share of sales tax revenue generated at the Hinsdale oasis site “just a money grab.”
House Bill 3172, sponsored by Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs and Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside, would call for an assessment if a Tollway oasis bridge is eliminated, possibly leading adjacent municipalies to share in sales tax revenue.
Daily Herald: Before final vote, Rolling Meadows mayor-elect pushes his plan for Dominick's site
Redevelopment of much of the former Dominick’s property in downtown Rolling Meadows is all but a done deal, with a final vote to approve a 106-unit townhouse development scheduled by the lame-duck city council for Tuesday.
But Mayor-elect Joe Gallo — one of two aldermen to vote against the project during a first reading vote March 26 — remains committed to his vision for a city town center on the property, and appears poised to use his new position as a bully pulpit to push for it.
Rockford Register-Star: Winnebago County Board mulls moratorium on long-term incentives
Winnebago County may take a one-year pause in awarding long-term economic development subsidies to stimulate the regional economy while board members consider whether to steer some of that money to road repairs and other capital improvements.
The moratorium proposal — put forth by County Board member Jim Webster, R-2 — exposes a thorny policy question that the board has avoided for years: How should the county build a sustainable mechanism to pay for capital items such as road repairs, vehicles for the Sheriff’s Department, voting machines, computer software, building maintenance and more?
Bloomington Pantagraph: Aldermen expected to adopt revised $227.5 million budget for Bloomington
The city’s proposed fiscal 2020 budget is increasing to $227.5 million to reflect additional revenue from a new video gambling machine fee, doubling the local motor fuel tax and other accounting measures.
The revised figure is an 8.3 percent increase over this year’s budget of $210 million. The city had previously proposed a budget of $221.6 million for next year.