Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Flawed assessments under Assessor Berrios caused $2 billion shift in Chicago property taxes, study finds
In the first effort to measure the cost of Cook County’s error-ridden assessment system under Assessor Joseph Berrios, a new study estimates that at least $2.2 billion in property taxes was shifted from undervalued Chicago homes onto overvalued ones between 2011 and 2015.
Because the county’s assessment system is skewed in favor of high-priced homes, the errors amount to a staggering transfer of wealth that benefited Chicago’s most affluent homeowners at the expense of people who own lower-priced homes.
Chicago Sun-Times: Emanuel’s $8.5B O’Hare expansion plan cleared for takeoff by Aviation Committee
Three weeks of political turbulence that threatened to ground an $8.5 billion O’Hare Airport expansion plan disappeared Thursday — and all it took was a hazy promise to speed construction of three gates.
American Airlines had threatened to file a lawsuit, reduce its dual-hub operation at O’Hare — or both — to protest Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision to award five additional gates to hometown United Airlines and spurn American’s request for three more gates of its own.
Chicago Sun-Times: Tunney defends rejection of tent permit on Wrigley lot used by Cubs players
Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) said Thursday he rejected the Cubs application for a permit to put a tent over a Wrigley Field parking lot used by Cubs players because the unsightly solution was meant to be temporary and area residents are fed up with it.
If the Cubs really need an “added layer of security” so millionaire players and their wives can arrive and depart the stadium without being hounded by autograph seekers, hecklers or pickpockets, Tunney said the Cubs should build a parking structure on the Blue Lot located at 1102 W. Waveland.
WTTW Chicago Tonight: ISBE Announces Hearings on CPS Special Education Practices
State education officials interested in examining Chicago Public Schools’ special education offerings will kick off a series of open hearings this month after families, stakeholders and a media report stoked concerns of possible “systemic issues” late last year.
The Illinois State Board of Education announced Thursday it has scheduled three hearings in its first-ever public inquiry into the district’s special education services, beginning Tuesday at the University of Chicago’s Kent College of Law.
Northwest Herald: Algonquin Township officials clash over 2nd forensic audit bill
Township officials clashed Wednesday night over a bill Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser submitted to pay for the forensic audit of a laptop computer used at the highway department before he took office.
The board voted, 3-2, to pull the $1,260.80 bill from Decatur-based Garrett Discovery. Trustees Dave Chapman, Melissa Victor and Dan Shea voted “yes,” while Supervisor Charles Lutzow and Trustee Rachael Lawrence voted “no.”
Northwest Herald: Algonquin Township board nixes $5K retainer fee to audit highway department spending
Algonquin Township officials unanimously voted against Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser’s authorization of a $5,000 retainer fee to hire a Chicago accounting firm to audit the highway department’s financial transactions in the past eight years.
The 5-0 vote happened at the township’s Wednesday night meeting, where trustees clashed with the first-term highway commissioner over whether the expense was a good use of taxpayer dollars.
Daily Herald: Why Route 53 extension study now includes McHenry, Cook counties
A study to determine the feasibility of extending Route 53 into Lake County has been rebranded to reflect a broader range of possibilities to ease traffic congestion.
Instead of focusing solely on Route 53 and associated work to improve Route 120 in central Lake County, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority says the Tri-County Access project will consider a range of alternatives to move traffic in Lake, McHenry and northern Cook counties.
Daily Herald: Most suburban school districts increased cash reserves last year
After years of construction projects chipping away at its reserves, Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 leaders are saving again.
The school district increased its reserve fund by more than $4.6 million in 2017, up 36.4 percent from the previous year, according to Illinois State Board of Education financial reports. Now that its reserves are at more than 40 percent of annual operating expenses, the spike triggered a board-mandated spending plan. The state board recommends a minimum of 25 percent in reserve.
Daily Herald: District 211 sells 62 acres in Schaumburg for $20.5 million
Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 soon will have an additional $20.5 million in the bank and a lot less lawn to mow after the school board’s unanimous vote Thursday to sell 62 vacant acres in a Schaumburg neighborhood.
The buyer and highest bidder for the land was Naperville-based M/I Homes of Chicago LLC, fulfilling the village of Schaumburg’s preference for residential development on the site.
Decatur Herald & Review: Decatur council to vote on new 2-year contract for City Manager Tim Gleason
City council members will vote Monday on a two-year contract renewal for City Manager Tim Gleason, who started on the job three years ago this month. It offers a 6 percent raise for the city manager, making his new salary $176,507 starting March 23.
“I feel like we got a bargain with him, with all he brings to the table,” Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said Thursday. “He’s got expertise in a lot of areas. The Bloomington city manager left last year, and he went to Joliet for $215,000 (in yearly salary).”