Check out the newest spotlight on spending covering traffic control aides in Chicago. Necessary? Some taxpayers don’t think so.
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Check Out a New Paper on TIF Transparency!
Although tax increment financing (TIF) has been around for over thirty years, many people do not understand how it works, how it affects their communities or their pocketbooks. Most people have no idea a significant portion of their property taxes …
Institute in The News: District 86 Receives an “F” for Fiscal Transparency
The Illinois Policy Institute announced last night that School District 86 has received a failing grade when it comes to fiscal transparency. The poor marks come on the heels of a recent audit conducted by the Institute’s Local Transparency Project.
Taxpayers Paying for New Model of Chicago
In 2008, the Chicago Architecture Foundation was awarded a $100,000 grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to “assist in the development of the 2008-2009 Special Exhibitions.” According to the DCEO Grant Tracker (Under “Search Grants by Organization” …
$40K for Façade Improvements
Between September 2008 and August 2010, the Spoon River Partnership for Economic Development in Canton, Illinois received a $40,000 grant as part of the Grant Management Program. This program allows the General Assembly and the Governor to give “grants …
State Spends $100k on New Art Exhibit
In 2009, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded a $100,000 Tourism Attraction Grant to the Art Institute of Chicago for the Becoming Edvard Munch Exhibit (under “Search Grants by Organization” search Art Institute of Chicago). According to the …
Daley Proposes Dipping into TIF Reserves to Balance Budget
Mayor Daley went forward with his plans to use TIF reserves in order to “balance” his proposed FY2011 budget, leaving it to his future replacement to tackle the inherent problems that led the city into a deficit in …
Rahm on TIF
Not many people understand tax increment financing (TIF) very well, and the lack of transparency in the TIF process, particularly in Chicago, leaves many taxpayers unaware of exactly where TIF developments are located, how many tax dollars are going …
Illinois Begging Companies Not to Leave
Governor Quinn recently announced a new $7 million “business investment package” that will keep U.S. Cellular’s headquarters in Illinois. The package is part of the state’s Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Program (EDGE). The program provides …
Who Brings Home the Pork from Washington?
With the release of the 2010 Capital Bill Piglet Book highlighting wasteful spending by the state, I was curious to see what kind of wasteful spending was taking place at the federal level on behalf of Illinois.
This information was …
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