Chicago aldermen give up control of $100M workers’ comp program

By Brad Weisenstein

01/23/2019

A federal corruption charge against Chicago Ald. Ed Burke has led peers to hand control of the $100 million-a-year workers’ compensation program to the city finance department. Burke, who had overseen the program for decades, fought program oversight and staffed it with political allies.

TAGS: Chicago, Chicago City Council, Ed Burke, Rahm Emanuel, workers compensation

Ald. Burke prosecution ends battle against auditing Chicago’s $100 million workers’ comp program

By Brad Weisenstein

01/07/2019

Mayor Rahm Emanuel ordered an audit of the city’s $100 million-a-year workers’ compensation program following Ald. Ed Burke’s resignation as finance committee chair. Burke has long fought program oversight.

TAGS: Chicago, Chicago City Council, Ed Burke, Rahm Emanuel, workers compensation

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

Steel manufacturer shutters Illinois plant, takes 100 jobs to Indiana

By Janelle Cammenga

12/08/2018

Alliance Steel Corp. will move 100 jobs to Gary, Indiana, with plans to add 30 more.

TAGS: manufacturing, outmigration, property taxes, taxes, workers compensation

Lawsuit seeks to end Burke’s ‘political army’ in Chicago workers’ comp system

By Austin Berg

08/07/2018

Chicago’s longest-serving alderman runs the city’s workers’ comp program without any outside scrutiny. But a new lawsuit aims to change that.

TAGS: Chicago, Chicago City Council, Ed Burke, patronage, workers compensation

Belleville spent more than $2.5M on workers’ comp settlements in less than 5 years

By Vincent Caruso

07/29/2018

While a few payouts were the result of severe injuries, local taxpayers were also on the hook for settlements with workers who returned to work the very next day.

TAGS: Belleville, St. Clair County, taxes, workers compensation

Coca-Cola distributor relocating facility, 143 jobs to Iowa from Rock Island

By Eddie Damstra

06/08/2018

Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Co. plans to move its Rock Island facility to Walcott, Iowa, where the company is expected to receive substantial tax incentives.

TAGS: jobs, quad cities, rock island county, workers compensation

As Macon County shrinks, property tax rates grow

By Joe Kaiser

05/01/2018

With countywide population dipping, remaining taxpayers in Macon County are being left with an ever-increasing property tax bill.

TAGS: decatur, gas tax, Macon County, outmigration, population, property taxes, taxes, workers compensation

Lake Bluff consolidation proposal could save taxpayers $500K

By Brendan Bakala

02/17/2018

A joint service agreement between two fire departments could save Lake Bluff more than $500,000 over five years, once fully implemented. The plan would be a welcome change of pace for residents, as Lake County homeowners pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation.

TAGS: collective bargaining, local government consolidation, property taxes, workers compensation

6 ways Illinois lawmakers can ease the property tax pain

By Vincent Caruso

01/26/2018

Illinoisans shoulder some of the highest property taxes in the country. This burden is key to understanding the state's outmigration problem. Despite the failure of lawmakers to reverse this crisis, there remain a number of sound reforms waiting for consideration.

TAGS: collective bargaining, consolidation, municipal pensions, pensions, prevailing wage, property taxes, school district consolidation, taxes, workers compensation

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