Kane County

Evanston 6th in state to earn a 100% on online transparency audit

By Brian Costin
01/24/2014
The Illinois Policy Institute awarded the city of Evanston a Sunshine Award at the city’s Jan. 13 board meeting. By posting everything on the Illinois Policy Institute’s 10-Point Transparency Checklist, Evanston recently became the sixth local taxing body in Illinois to garner a perfect transparency score, joining Kane County, Hanover Township, Orland Park, Lombard and...

TAGS: Evanston, good government, Sunshine Award, transparency

Local Transparency Project Endorsements

By Brian Costin
01/01/2013
Municipal Endorsements  Village of Orland Park “Many different local municipalities have reached out to us since our scores (100%) were announced publicly, they want to know how we did it, and all the credit goes to the Illinois Policy Institute and their staff for working with us to improve our online transparency strategy.” – Joe LaMargo,...

Institute on WAND TV: Illinois’ addiction to pork

12/31/2012
Institute policy expert, Jonathan Ingram, joined Doug Wolfe on WAND TV to discuss Illinois’ addiction to wasteful spending. Check our Piglet 2012 for examples of pork in Illinois. MUSEUM CAPITAL PROJECTS ABRAHAM LINCOLN MEMORIAL GARDEN FOUNDATION, INC. (Sangamon County) – $82,433. Renovation of the Ostermeir Farmhouse to add handicap accessible features, waterproof basement, replace carpet,...

TAGS: waste

Meet the Kane County Transparency Team

By Brian Costin
09/17/2012
  Recently, the Institute released the results of transparency audits of 26 northern Illinois counties as part of the Local Transparency Project. Kane County earned the highest grade and became the first county in Illinois to score a 100%, on the Institute’s 10-Point Transparency Checklist. Here is a picture of Kane County’s Transparency Team who was responsible for...

Kane County earns 100% in government transparency audit

By Brian Costin
06/26/2012
CHICAGO (June 26, 2012) – With the click of a mouse, residents in Kane County can find out when is the next county board meeting or what tax rates they pay. But in many counties across northern Illinois, this type of information is not readily available to the public. In the Illinois Policy Institute’s latest...

Elgin city tax hike

By Chris Andriesen
12/21/2011
The Elgin City Council plans to vote tonight on a new budget that increases taxes and adds new fees. The Council has chosen to pursue new revenue sources to fill a $4.5 million deficit, rather than run a more efficient government. This strategy of higher taxes only compounds the problems that average Illinoisans and residents of Elgin...

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

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

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016