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Chicago Tribune: Transit stations help lure business relocations and new jobs — and keep them here, report says
Trains and buses help bring jobs into the region, and keep them here, a new report says.
Research from the Metropolitan Planning Council, a Chicago-based public policy group, found that half of new jobs created between 2005 and 2015 were located within a half-mile of a CTA or Metra station. These areas grew jobs at more than double the national average, by 19 percent, the report found.
Chicago Tribune: CTA riders won’t see any fare hikes or service cuts in 2019, but officials call on Springfield for more funding
CTA riders will be spared any fare hikes or service cuts next year, though the agency continues to push for more state funding to continue making investments in the aging system.
The CTA on Thursday announced a balanced budget for 2019, with $1.6 billion for operations, and a five-year, $2.9 billion capital improvement plan for facilities, stations and equipment.
WBEZ: CPS Expected To Get Extra $75M Windfall From City
This week’s unveiling of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed city budget came with two surprises for Chicago Public Schools.
The first is good news: The school district is slated to get an extra $75 million in surplus dollars from special taxing districts called TIFs, or tax increment financing districts. The second is far less favorable: The city once again wants the school district to pick up the costs for police officers stationed in the schools.
Northwest Herald: Algonquin Township officials to consider moving money for growing legal costs
Algonquin Township officials will host a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. Friday to consider transferring money to cover the legal bills of Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser and Clerk Karen Lukasik.
The highway department has requested a transfer of $8,000 into its $150,000 legal budget to cover a $40,000 settlement payout to a downstate watchdog group that sued the township and highway department for allegedly failing to follow public records law.