A number of the new municipal laws going into effect for 2013 are related to increasing government transparency. These new laws include: Meeting agendas must contain the “general subject matter” for action items. (PA 97-827) Notices and agendas must be available for public review for 48 hours before meeting. (PA 97-827) Reports concerning sales tax rebate agreements...
A number of the new municipal laws going into effect for 2013 are related to increasing government transparency. These new laws include:
Another one of the state
Illinois state government has 230 programs that provide state funds to nearly 7,000 units of local government in Illinois. The largest 11 programs alone provide more than $13 billion to local governments. The distribution of that money, across the entire state, makes it difficult to hold state and local governments accountable for their spending decisions....
Palos Hills Mayor: ‘Cities and villages will go bankrupt if this does not change’ Despite all of the media focus on the state’s troubled pension systems, a Southtown Star column byPhil Kander details the problems many suburbs face with the mounting debt of public employee pensions. Intense lobbying by labor unions to pass costly pension sweeteners have caused...
Our team compiled a list of our favorite Christmas movies. And here they are in no particular order. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) Gremlins (1984) Die Hard (1988) A Christmas Story (1983) One Magic Christmas (1985) Home Alone (1990) It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Love Actually (2003) How the Grinch...
Illinois state government has 230 programs that provide state funds to nearly 7,000 units of local government in Illinois. The largest 11 programs alone provide more than $13 billion to local governments.
Weekly local government headlines
Our team compiled a list of our favorite Christmas movies.
Unfortunately, 2012 was another dismal year for budget and tax policy in Illinois. It seems that the more things change the more they get worse in this state. But the Illinois Policy Institute is fighting to fix that. We believe that Illinois can once again become a beacon of economic freedom, individual liberty and prosperity....
Illinois’ unemployment fell to 8.7 percent in November from 8.8 percent in October, adding 16,400 new payroll jobs. Despite this small decrease in the unemployment rate, Illinois is still a full percentage point above the national unemployment average of 7.7 percent, and 1.6 percentage points higher than the average of its neighboring states. That fact –...
Illinois
The 2012 Illinois Piglet Book highlights nearly 200 examples of wasteful government spending totaling more than $354 million. The Springfield Park District, for example, spent $9,941 on bobbleheads. Many of these bobbling toys were modeled after Speedy the Turtle, the Springfield Sliders mascot. Some businesses are struggling to make payroll. Some families are working multiple jobs...