Costs for Metra's administrative workers, including managers, lawyers, accountants and IT specialists went up 54 percent over the last five years.

High-priced government workers cost taxpayers in Illinois $10 billion a year, with municipal managers in areas surrounding Chicago reaping the most benefits.

The village of Rosemont is moving forward on a $60 million taxpayer-funded baseball stadium.

While Chicago-area taxpayers struggle under a heavy tax burden, lawmakers – who continue to ignore reforms the state desperately needs – are now on a two-week vacation.

Chicagoans have been burdened with a slew of new taxes and the full damage has yet to be felt. A state income tax hike, like the one proposed in the Illinois Senate’s so-called “grand bargain,” would only further harm struggling Chicagoans.