Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.
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Chicago issues over 1M parking tickets in 6 months
Three years after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned on a pledge to reduce fines and fees, the city issued over 1 million parking tickets in the first half of 2022 – a 25% bump from the same period a year earlier.
Experts: Expect future Chicago property tax hikes without pension reform
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot earmarked $442 million to help pay down Chicago’s $46.9 billion pension debt. The Civic Federation said stop-gap measures will only delay future property tax hikes unless there’s statewide pension reform.
Tyson Foods 6th company to leave Illinois in 2022
Tyson Foods is relocating 500 employees from Chicago and Downers Grove offices to the corporate headquarters in Arkansas. The meat processor is the sixth company to leave Illinois this year.
Chicago taxpayer contributions to pensions could spike due to recession
A new financial report predicts residents in the nation’s largest cities will pay more for pensions next year as inflation and recessionary fears “erase” 2021 gains. Chicago topped the big cities for pension debt.
Illinois to legalize internet gambling, executives predict
A new report predicts legalized internet gambling would generate $273.3 million a year in new revenue for Illinois. A safer bet for Illinois’ state workers would be constitutional pension reform.
Chicago pension funds still among nation’s worst funded
Over-promised benefits continue to sink Chicago’s finances as the recent bear market eats into 2021 stock market gains. Investments gaining 25% last year plus federal aid didn’t offer much help to city pension systems, which have more debt than 45 states.
Chicago parents spend $886 per child on school supplies
Chicago parents spend one-third more than the national average on school supplies. A 5% state sales tax holiday does little to help those struggling with back-to-school costs.
Amendment 1 would give teachers unions more power over students’ health
The number of students enrolling in Chicago Public Schools continues to fall as teachers’ unions impose COVID-19 policies and infringe on parents’ choices about their childrens’ health and safety. A ballot proposal would make that worse.
Lightfoot’s play to keep Bears could cost up to $2,000 per family
The Chicago Bears are considering a move to Arlington Heights, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot is pitching a last-ditch effort to revamp Soldier Field. Depending on the option, the tax hit per household ranges from $833 to $2,036.
