Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel endorses pension amendment to Illinois Constitution

By Adam Schuster

12/11/2018

Outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel is publicly pushing for a constitutional amendment to the state’s pension clause. Pension reform is the only way to combat rising property taxes and prevent further budget chaos in Illinois state and local governments.

TAGS: Chicago, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, Rahm Emanuel, taxes

Seal-Rite Door exits Rockford for Wisconsin

By Vincent Caruso

12/11/2018

Seal-Rite’s doors are hardly the first to close in Illinois and reopen in the Badger State.

TAGS: outmigration, pensions, property taxes, rockford, taxes, workers compensation

Fitch warns against CTBA’s reckless pension plan

By Adam Schuster

12/11/2018

Fitch Ratings has issued a warning about a pension plan pushed by one Illinois think tank, which includes no reform and would harm the state’s credit rating. The response from the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability proves how indefensible the plan really is.

TAGS: CTBA: Center for Budget and Tax Accountability, Fitch Ratings, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, taxes

More than 70 Belleville-area school retirees are pension millionaires

By Vincent Caruso

12/10/2018

Pension payouts collected by the Belleville area’s top-earning school retirees underscore the need to reform Illinois’ unaffordable pension system.

TAGS: Belleville, Belleville School District 118, Belleville Township School District 201, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, St. Clair County, taxes

Carterville passes largest property tax hike in city history to pay for pensions

By Vincent Caruso

12/06/2018

Pension costs now consume nearly 70 percent of the city’s annual property tax levy. It may not be enough.

TAGS: municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, taxes

Happy birthday: The solution that never was to Illinois’ pension crisis

By Austin Berg

12/06/2018

Illinoisans should know lawmakers in the past made big moves to fix the state's worst-in-the-nation pension crisis. It’s politically possible. They just need a little reminder of our history.

TAGS: Mike Madigan, municipal pensions, Pat Quinn, pension guarantee, pensions

Geneva teachers union strike leaves 5,800 students in the lurch

By Janelle Cammenga

12/05/2018

Six years after last threatening to strike, the teachers union walked the picket line – a collective bargaining tactic not allowed in any of Illinois’ neighboring states.

TAGS: education, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, pensions, strike, teacher salaries

Highland Park to hike property tax levy nearly $1M to pay for pensions

By Joe Barnas

12/04/2018

Citing public safety pension costs, the city is expected to approve another increase to its property tax levy.

TAGS: Highland Park, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, taxes

Illinois Supreme Court defends inflated pensions for Chicago union leaders

By Adam Schuster

12/01/2018

Once again proving why the state must amend the Illinois Constitution’s pension clause, the court unanimously ruled in favor of a special perk that inflated union leader pensions to nearly three times the pension of the average worker.

TAGS: Chicago, credit rating, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, Rahm Emanuel

Geneseo hikes property taxes by 10 percent to pay for pensions

By Janelle Cammenga

11/30/2018

The city of Geneseo hiked its property tax levy by nearly 10 percent to pay for police pensions.

TAGS: Geneseo, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, taxes