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Illinois is No. 1 in government units, keeping property taxes sky high

By Dylan Sharkey
05/22/2022
Illinois has 6,032 local governments, the most in the nation by a wide margin – and that excludes 859 school districts. It’s the main reason Illinoisans pay the nation’s second-highest property taxes.

TAGS: Citizens Empowerment Act, local government consolidation, property taxes

Illinois is No. 1 in government units, keeping property taxes sky high

By Dylan Sharkey
04/29/2022
Illinois has 6,032 local governments, the most in the nation by a wide margin – and that excludes 859 school districts. It’s the main reason Illinoisans pay the nation’s second-highest property taxes.

TAGS: Citizens Empowerment Act, Illinois, local government consolidation

House bill would lower property taxes by trimming Illinois government waste

By Justin Carlson
02/03/2022
Illinois leads the nation in local government bloat, with over 6,000 taxing bodies. The Citizen’s Empowerment Act, sponsored by Illinois House Rep. Jonathan Carroll, would make it easier for Illinois taxpayers to dissolve unnecessary layers of government.

TAGS: Illinois, Jonathan Carroll, local government consolidation, property taxes, waste

Civic Federation finds nearly 9,000 tax-guzzling government units in Illinois

By Justin Carlson
04/19/2021
A recent comprehensive analysis found the real number of government units in Illinois is 30% higher than the U.S. Census Bureau’s count. Too many government units mean too many taxes.

TAGS: Citizens Empowerment Act, Illinois, local government consolidation, school district efficiency

Too many government units means property taxes are too high in Illinois

By Patrick Andriesen
03/30/2021
A bill to eliminate some of Illinois’ 1,400 townships is on hold, but state lawmakers could revive it and give voters the power to reduce their property tax bills.

TAGS: Citizens Empowerment Act, local government consolidation, property taxes, townships

Citizens Empowerment Act could mean relief for Illinois property taxpayers

By Justin Carlson
03/22/2021
House Bill 433 would make it easier for Illinois taxpayers to dissolve unnecessary units of government in the state with the nation’s highest number of government units.

TAGS: administrative bloat, Citizens Empowerment Act, local government consolidation, property taxes

Property taxes turning American dreams into Illinois nightmares

By Austin Berg
03/05/2020
Visions of the community’s future no longer bring comfort. Instead, they inspire crippling fear.

TAGS: corruption, home values, homeownership, local government consolidation, Matteson, pensions, property taxes, school district consolidation

Illinois property taxes rank No. 2 in the nation for third year running

By Brad Weisenstein
03/02/2020
Property taxes in Illinois are nearly double the national average. Until state lawmakers trim down thousands of local governments and pursue pension reform, those bills wills remain high.

TAGS: fair tax, home values, income tax, JB Pritzker, local government consolidation, pensions, property taxes, school district efficiency

Mosquito abatement districts targeted by Illinois lawmakers

02/20/2020
Consolidating Illinois’ nearly 7,000 units of local government could help provide local property tax relief. One bill aims to consolidate mosquito abatement districts.

TAGS: local government consolidation, mosquito abatement district, property taxes

Illinois property tax relief begins by culling nearly 7,000 local government units

By Adam Schuster
10/08/2019
Illinois’ overabundance of local government layers provides ample room to consolidate and save property taxes.

TAGS: budget, consolidation, local government consolidation, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, taxes, townships

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Labor / Research Report

Above the law: Amendment 1 would let government unions void over 350 Illinois laws


Amendment 1 would allow government unions to nullify hundreds of Illinois statutes – including laws aimed at protecting school children – simply by contradicting them in union contracts.

View Report

Report Archive

Budget + Tax / Your Story

Brent Retherford

Labor / Policy Point

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014
Illinois Policy In the News

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

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016

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