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Champaign News-Gazette: Be prepared
Illinois plays pretend — if it was going to reduce spending, what spending would it reduce?
It’s impossible to say what the future holds, but Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is asking his department heads to be ready to get by with less money.
Last week, Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes and Budget Director Alexis Sturm issued a directive that, among other things, ordered department heads to find “operational efficiencies” that would total 6.5 percent of their current budget.
Chicago Tribune: Mayor Lori Lightfoot sees stronger Chicago with passage of fine, fee reforms and plan to publicize high-profile watchdog reports as aldermen challenge her on agenda
Mayor Lori Lightfoot took a bow Wednesday for City Council moves she said would create “a city that is stronger, more fair, and more prosperous for our families and our future”: reforming automobile fines and fees, allowing certain high profile watchdog investigations to be published and advancing rules for eventual marijuana sales.
Lightfoot threw a spotlight on those actions the same day aldermanic opponents publicly challenged her on the council floor because of her ongoing efforts to centralize many of their duties. They delayed one of her appointments to a city board on the grounds they feel the mayor is undermining their ward-level authority and taking away residents’ voices on key local issues.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot critics stir up trouble; is broader City Council rebellion brewing?
Was it a feeble and failed attempt to stir up trouble by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s two most outspoken critics?
Or does it signal a broader City Council rebellion during a brutal budget season by aldermen chafing behind the scenes at Lightfoot’s decision to chip away at aldermanic prerogative?
Crain's Chicago Business: Progressives want to bring back the head tax in a big way
The city’s most progressive aldermen—many of them freshmen—have called on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to tax the rich and wealthy corporations, instead of the working families of Chicago, to help the city’s ailing coffers.
Chicago Tribune: Citing ‘dramatic effect’ on CTA ridership, Mayor Lori Lightfoot opposes reduced Metra fares backed by County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
A Cook County-backed proposal to expand passenger train service between downtown, the Far South Side and south suburbs now has a powerful opponent: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle cemented a plan to lower fares and increase service on both the Metra Electric and Rock Island train lines at the center of a racial equity agenda presented to the City Club of Chicago earlier this week — saying the effort would help ensure South Side and south suburban residents have better access to transit.
WBEZ: Despite Lightfoot Vow, City To Withhold Most Records On ‘Cover-up’ For Van Dyke
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration says it will release records “as soon as Thursday” about the city’s investigation of an alleged cover-up for Jason Van Dyke, the officer sent to prison for killing Laquan McDonald, but the release will be much more limited than what she promised during her mayoral campaign.
The City Council on Wednesday approved a Lightfoot-backed ordinance paving the way for releasing records “of a compelling public interest” from some investigations by the city Inspector General’s Office. Before the change, those IG records were generally required to be kept confidential.
Chicago Tribune: Serious crime has doubled on the ‘L’ system despite CTA adding thousands of security cameras
Reports of serious crimes on the CTA rail system have doubled since 2015 even as ridership declined and such crimes rose only slightly citywide, according to a Tribune analysis of Chicago police data.
At the same time, the arrest rate for these “L”-related crimes has dropped, suggesting that even as CTA’s rail system has become more dangerous, there is less chance the perpetrators will be held accountable.
Chicago Sun-Times: Ex-Gaming Board chief accused of donating illegal campaign cash — allegations he calls ‘a political hit job’
The former head of the Illinois Gaming Board made or directed numerous political campaign contributions in violation of state law while he was at the helm of the regulatory agency — including to former Gov. Bruce Rauner, the man who appointed him to the post, according to a top government watchdog report released Wednesday.
Illinois’ gambling law prohibits Gaming Board members from engaging in “any political activity,” but throughout his term starting in 2015, Don Tracy — who resigned as board chairman in mid-June — made 30 political donations totaling more than $20,000, mostly through his wife, Wanda Tracy, the Office of the Executive Inspector General ruled.
Northwest Herald: Assessment appeals available in 13 of 17 McHenry County townships by next week
Northwest Herald: McHenry Township voters to decide on allocation of senior bus funding Friday
Rockford Register-Star: Forest City Casino envisions water park, golf complex and senior housing to boot
The grand plan for 136 acres off Lyford Road calls not only for a casino and hotel but also for a water park, golf entertainment complex and senior citizen housing.
That’s the vision Forest City Partners, the company behind Forest City Casino, has for the farm property at 8055 Spring Brook Road.
Rockford Register-Star: 2,400 protest Winnebago County property values
More than 2,400 people protested their taxable property values in Winnebago County this year, a 67% increase from 2018 spurred by the once-every-four-years requirement for assessors to recalibrate values for every parcel in their jurisdiction.
Known as the quadrennial assessment, assessors are obliged to view every property and develop a deeper neighborhood-by-neighborhood analysis of values. It typically sets the stage for a showdown between assessors and homeowners who want to control how much their property values increase in order to keep their tax bills from swelling.
State Journal-Register: Springfield City Council approves tax on cannabis sales
The Springfield City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to impose a local 3% tax on marijuana sales, the maximum allowed under state law. The tax would be added to the city’s regular sales tax.
The revenue generated from the marijuana tax would be split — half going toward funding police and fire pensions, and the other half to fund economic development projects on the city’s east side.