Slush fund hits record amounts as Chicago looks to the state for a bailout.

The case against Mount Prospect, Ill., shows how tax increment financing districts siphon tax money from school districts and other taxing bodies, and diverts needed resources and puts pressure on taxpayers to make up the difference.

The Lakewood Village Board’s decision to end a 2015 TIF district is a win for local taxpayers.

As property tax bills land in mailboxes in Madison and St. Clair counties, TIF districts sap local tax dollars.

The village board of Lakewood, Illinois, will decide whether to keep a TIF district approved in 2015 in a vote scheduled for June 13.

Property taxes are set to increase in Madison and St. Clair counties, and local taxpayers should know that through TIF districts, politicians divert tax dollars that could go toward schools, libraries and public services to separate accounts that foster a lack of transparency and accountability.

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

Chicago Public Schools is faced with the possibility of closing school early while Chicago sits on massive property wealth.

Though the median household income in Belleville is only $43,318, Belleville Township School District 201’s top administrators are making six-figure salaries.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has suggested funding CPS with tax increment financing, or TIF, funds; this would temporarily bail out the district, but more needs to be done to address serious concerns about Chicago’s TIF program.