Rahm’s police and fire pension “fix” becomes law

By John Klingner

05/31/2016

On May 30, the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to delay payments to Chicago’s police and fire pension funds – at a cost to Chicago taxpayers of an additional $18.6 billion over the next 40 years.

TAGS: Chicago, municipal pensions, pensions, Rahm Emanuel

Pension debt for Chicago city-worker pensions doubles to more than $21 billion

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

05/23/2016

Thanks to new government reporting standards, Chicago’s municipal-workers and laborers pension funds’ debt doubled in 2015 to more than $21 billion. That’s $20,500 of pension debt per Chicago household.

TAGS: Chicago, municipal pensions, pensions

Rahm’s power move on Airbnb ordinance shows who’s the boss in City Hall

By Chris Lentino

05/20/2016

Despite calls for more time, the mayor flexed his muscle to increase taxes on short-term Airbnb rentals to over 21 percent.

TAGS: Airbnb, Chicago, collaborative economy, Rahm Emanuel, regulations, sharing economy

23 of Illinois’ 29 largest cities are shrinking, Chicago sees 2nd-biggest population decline in U.S.

By Michael Lucci

05/19/2016

In the majority of Illinois’ large cities, the number of people moving to another part of the country is greater than the combined gains from more births than deaths and international immigration.

TAGS: Chicago, outmigration, population, U.S. Census Bureau

How Chicago’s affordable-housing mandates make housing less affordable

By Mark Adams

05/17/2016

Affordable-housing mandates are sold to voters as a way to balance development with the need to build housing for the least well-off. In reality, these mandates add to the barriers that prevent developers from making housing more affordable and give rise to corruption in Chicago.

TAGS: Chicago, zoning

CPS, CTU want to create new taxing districts to raise $100 million from taxpayers

By Chris Lentino

05/12/2016

Creating new special service areas for the sole benefit of Chicago Public Schools would mean hitting homeowners with an additional $100 million in taxes.

TAGS: Chicago, CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union

Burke saved Trump $11.7M in Chicago property-tax appeal scheme

By Austin Berg

04/30/2016

Donald Trump, Chicago Alderman Edward Burke

Flawed property valuations and the process required to fix them are a cash cow for law firms, including those of House Speaker Mike Madigan, Chicago Alderman Ed Burke and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.

TAGS: Chicago, Donald Trump, Ed Burke, property taxes

Labor board finds CTU’s April 1 strike likely illegal

By Jeffrey Schwab

04/27/2016

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board determined there is enough evidence of the illegality of CTU’s April 1 walkout for CPS to pursue a court order to prevent CTU from waging any similar strikes.

TAGS: Chicago, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, education

Rahm plans to borrow $1.2 billion to construct Lucas museum

04/19/2016

The mayor’s plan to construct the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art includes more of the same bad policies that got Chicago into its fiscal crisis: a bid to borrow $1.2 billion and hike taxes on residents.

TAGS: Chicago

Chicago students receive more state funding than the average Illinois student

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

04/07/2016

Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool has claimed that Chicago students are discriminated against under the state's education funding formula. But the numbers show the opposite: Chicago has received more than its fair share of education funding from the state.

TAGS: Chicago, CPS: Chicago Public Schools

Chicago

Rahm’s police and fire pension “fix” becomes law

Pension debt for Chicago city-worker pensions doubles to more than $21 billion

Rahm’s power move on Airbnb ordinance shows who’s the boss in City Hall

23 of Illinois’ 29 largest cities are shrinking, Chicago sees 2nd-biggest population decline in U.S.

How Chicago’s affordable-housing mandates make housing less affordable

CPS, CTU want to create new taxing districts to raise $100 million from taxpayers

Burke saved Trump $11.7M in Chicago property-tax appeal scheme

Labor board finds CTU’s April 1 strike likely illegal

Rahm plans to borrow $1.2 billion to construct Lucas museum

Chicago students receive more state funding than the average Illinois student

4 ways to break out of Illinois’ pension trap

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

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