Nearly a third of property tax revenue in Chicago is diverted into 143 TIF districts controlled by the mayor, nearly half of which are located in affluent neighborhoods.

TAGS: Chicago, Chicago City Council, Cook County, John F. Curran, property taxes, Rahm Emanuel, TIF: Tax Increment Financing, William Davis

Cook County property tax bills set to increase by 5 percent

By Joe Barnas

06/26/2018

Chicago homeowners will see their property tax bills rise by an average of $110 this summer. But suburban residents and business owners should also prepare for a hike.

TAGS: Cook County, Joseph Berrios, property taxes, taxes

Inspector general: Personnel, procedural errors cost Cook County hospital system $165 million in revenue

By Eric Kohn

05/18/2018

While the county hospital system loses out on revenue, county payroll and retirement costs continue to climb.

TAGS: Cook County, Cook County Health and Hospitals system, municipal pensions, pensions, Toni Preckwinkle

More than 80 percent of Illinois counties saw population loss in 2017

By Bryce Hill, Austin Berg

03/22/2018

As outmigration fuels population decline throughout the state, Cook County saw the largest numeric population loss of any county in the nation.

TAGS: collar counties, Cook County, outmigration, U.S. Census Bureau

Report: $800M of property tax burden in Chicago shifted onto poorer homeowners from 2011-2015

By Amy Korte

03/16/2018

University of Chicago researchers have found inaccurate and unfair assessments by the Cook County Assessor’s Office led to $800 million of the property tax burden shifting from owners of Chicago homes in the top 10 percent (by sale price) to owners of homes in the bottom 70 percent.

TAGS: Cook County, Joseph Berrios, property taxes

Bill would bar Cook County elected officials from working as lobbyists, owning lobbying firms

By Austin Berg

03/07/2018

Countywide elected officials would be barred from working as registered lobbyists or owning a lobbying firm under a new bill in the General Assembly.

TAGS: Cook County, Joseph Berrios, lobbying

Employee claims jobs sold for up to $10K in Cook County Circuit Court Clerk’s office

By Vincent Caruso

03/02/2018

FBI investigations into Dorothy Brown's office have been underway for nearly five years, during which the clerk has disputed accusations of misconduct. But according to one employee interviewed by federal prosecutors, at least one of Brown's hires may have come with a $10,000 price tag.

TAGS: Cook County, corruption, patronage

Budget Solutions 2020: A 5-year plan to balance Illinois’ budget, pay off debt and cut taxes

Gov. J.B. Pritzker inherited a $2.8 billion budget deficit the moment he stepped into office. Next year, that deficit is projected to be $3.4 billion1. It’s the same story every budget season. But Illinois’ budget crises could be a thing of the past if the state would adopt pension reform, right-size its union contracts and...

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Budget Solutions 2020: A 5-year plan to balance Illinois’ budget, pay off debt and cut taxes

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Tracy Ross

Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

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