Local Government Information Services
Recent News About Local Government Information Services
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Suburban property taxpayers would be on hook for CPS’ $17B in debt if schools bill becomes state law
A measure that would require homeowners in Chicago’s suburbs to pay off Chicago Public Schools’ $17 billion in debt is expected to go to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk for his signature later this month.
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Rauner accuses Madigan of legislative extortion on education bill
Gov. Bruce Rauner believes House Speaker Mike Madigan practices "legislative extortion," hurting the state in order to advance his own agenda, according to remarks Rauner made on a Chicago radio show recently.
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Suburban property taxpayers would be on hook for CPS’ $17B in debt if schools bill becomes state law
A measure that would require homeowners in Chicago’s suburbs to pay off Chicago Public Schools’ $17 billion in debt is expected to go to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk for his signature later this month.
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Letting pension system fail described as tough love for Illinois
Mike “Mish” Shedlock, who runs the blog “MishTalk.com,” believes imposing more taxes on Illinoisans with the biggest pensions can solve the pension crisis.
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Property tax freeze not the route to reform in Illinois, policy pro argues
Freezing property taxes is nothing close to a panacea for what is plaguing Illinois, according to Patrick Hughes, co-founder of the Illinois Opportunity Project.
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'Little gas' exaggerated into 'giant crisis' of global warming, Weather Channel co-founder says
Weather Channel co-founder John Coleman does not believe in climate change. He believes in politics.
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Circuit judge puts a cork in Cook County soda tax for now
A penny-per-ounce tax on sugary and artificial drinks has been put on hold by a circuit judge who issued a temporary restraining order requested by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and other grocers, according to ABC 7.
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Erase Illinois from the U.S. map, columnist contends
The best thing lllinois can do at this point is disappear, a Chicago Tribune columnist said on a Chicago-based radio talk show recently.
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Chicago taxpayers to pay an extra $895M with passage of tax hike law
Chicago taxpayers will see a total of $895 million in state income tax increases after SB 9, a tax hike measure, passed the Democrat-controlled Illinois State Senate to become law.
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Independent analyst confirms doomed fate of Chicago Police pension
Mike “Mish” Shedlock, a senior fellow at the Illinois Policy Institute and financial adviser at Washington state-based Sitka Pacific Capital Management, has independently confirmed that Chicago’s police pension is poised to be broke before 2021.
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Chicago police union responds to analysis of pension fund
The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7, the Chicago Police Department union, responded to projections estimating the Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago will require a taxpayer bailout to pay for retiree benefits in four years.
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Projection: Chicago's police pension fund will be broke in 2021
Without a taxpayer bailout, Chicago’s police pension fund won’t have enough money to pay benefits to retirees in 2021, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.
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Illinois Policy writer: Old guard throws barbs as new media grabs awards
Traditional news outlets have been resorting to name-calling and disparagement because they fear their way of controlling the narrative is dying, an Illinois Policy Institute writer said on a radio show recently.
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Democrats said to have odd way of showing they dislike Madigan
Democrats generally go into the voting booth with their eyes open, but when House Speaker Michael Madigan's name comes up, they go blind, a policy pro said on a Chicago radio broadcast recently.
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Chicago taxpayers would pay an extra $895M if Democrats’ tax hike becomes law
Chicago taxpayers would see a total of $895 million in state income tax increases if a tax hike measure passed by the Democrat-controlled Illinois State Senate becomes law.
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Illinois' Income tax hike: which Chicagoland communities will pay the most?
Taxpayers in the the City of Chicago's seventeen wealthiest zip codes would pay an additional $473 million in state income taxes if a tax hike measure passed by the Democrat-controlled Illinois State Senate becomes law.
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Chicago Teachers Pension fund paid out $1.5 billion in '16, earned $7.8 million
The Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund (CTPF) paid out $1.5 billion last fiscal year, mostly on benefits to retirees. But it only earned $7.8 million on its investments, according to a filing it made with the Illinois Department of Insurance.
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Analysis: State, federal subsidies to CPS among Chicago-area's highest
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) received $6,632 per-pupil in state and federal subsidies in 2016, ranking 47th among 291 school districts in the Chicagoland area.
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Analysis: CPS has overspent budget 15 years straight, by total $6.6 billion
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have blown their annual budgets in 15 of the past 15 years by a collective $6.6 billion, amassing debt to continually increase spending on operations while district student enrollment has steadily fallen.
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Criminals can now escape to sanctuary cities, legal expert maintains
Sanctuary cities have become the new hideouts for a handful of immigrants committing crimes and making all immigrants look bad, Alfred Regnery, chairman of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, said on a radio talk show recently.