Lightfoot cancels property tax hike in announcing new budget

By Dylan Sharkey

10/03/2022

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled her 2023 budget proposal and deleted a $42.7 million property tax hike originally tied to inflation.

TAGS: budget, Lori Lightfoot

Illinois lawmakers should read laws before they pass them

By Joe Tabor, Jon Josko

04/11/2022

Politicians use a loophole to bypass the Illinois Constitution’s requirement that bills be read on three separate days before they are passed. Instead, they often gut minor bills and put significant legislation in the bills within a day of the vote.

TAGS: budget, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, transparency

Pritzker ad fact check: Illinois only paid bills on time because of federal aid

By Dylan Sharkey

02/17/2022

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s newest campaign ad credits him for paying the state’s bills on time. The commercial fails to mention the influx of federal stimulus for the COVID-19 pandemic that kept Illinois’ finances afloat.

TAGS: budget, federal aid, JB Pritzker

Pritzker ad fact check: No, the governor has never balanced a state budget

By Dylan Sharkey

02/11/2022

In one of his first re-election political TV ads, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker takes credit for passing a balanced budget. Budget documents tell a different story, showing a deficit instead of the reported surplus.

TAGS: budget, COVID-19, federal aid, JB Pritzker

$14B in federal COVID-19 stimulus propped up Illinois’ budget

By Dylan Sharkey

02/09/2022

Despite claims Illinois’ budget was “balanced,” a closer look shows federal stimulus money propped it up. Only long-term reform on pensions, taxes, health care and school district consolidation can balance state finances and end 21 years of deficits.

TAGS: budget, COVID-19, federal aid, JB Pritzker

Pritzker claims $1.7B surplus while his budget shows $1.5B deficit

By Adam Schuster

02/02/2022

Despite claims during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s speech, his budget documents show a flood of federal COVID-19 aid temporarily shrank Illinois’ deficit but failed to balance its budget. His next budget will not end well.

TAGS: budget, deficit, JB Pritzker

Pritzker pitches $1B in temporary tax cuts after $5.4B in permanent tax hikes

By Patrick Andriesen

02/01/2022

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to unveil $1 billion in temporary tax cuts on groceries, property taxes and gas bills in his new budget. It all goes away just months after he seeks reelection Nov. 8, changing little.

TAGS: budget, JB Pritzker, State of the State, taxes

Chicago budget hands $500 monthly to some, higher property taxes to others

By Brad Weisenstein

10/27/2021

Chicago will spend $32 million on the nation’s largest test of universal basic income. What happens after that year is one question, as is whether handing out cash will truly fix anything.

TAGS: budget, Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, property taxes, UBI: Universal Basic Income

Illinois’ financial condition worsens despite receiving billions in federal aid

By Justin Carlson

10/01/2021

A new report from watchdog Truth in Accounting shows each taxpayer’s share of state debt has nearly doubled since 2009 to $57,000 as total debt increased by $10 billion—mostly due to pension obligations.

TAGS: budget, debt, Illinois, Truth in Accounting

Chicago average property taxes up $72 to $180, driven by pension debt

By Dylan Sharkey

09/21/2021

Chicago homeowners are likely to see average property tax bills rise between $72 and $180 based on the city’s new budget. Higher taxes are driven by $47 billion in pension debt, but pension reform can change that.

TAGS: budget, Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, property taxes

Fixing Illinois pension crisis by amending nation’s most-restrictive pension law is legal, effective

Illinois is home to one of the worst pension crises in the country.1 At 39% funded, according to the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts, Illinois has the worst pension funding ratio of any state.2 By contrast, neighboring Wisconsin’s pension system is 103% funded.3 In fiscal year 2022, Illinois’ total general funds pension costs, including pension bond...

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Fixing Illinois pension crisis by amending nation’s most-restrictive pension law is legal, effective

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Cathy Stuehmeier

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students