Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and his allies argue the programs are critical, but alderpeople say they need more details.
Alex Nitkin
Alex Nitkin is a government finance and accountability reporter conducting investigations on systemic problems and the public policies that are meant to fix them in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois government. Before joining Illinois Answers, he worked as a reporter and editor for The Daily Line covering Cook County and Chicago government. He previously worked at The Real Deal Chicago, where he covered local real estate news, and DNAinfo Chicago, where he worked as a breaking news reporter and then as a neighborhood reporter covering the city's Northwest Side. A New York native who grew up in Connecticut, Alex graduated Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism with a bachelor’s degree.
Posted inFollow-Up
Record Property Tax Increases Slam Chicago Homeowners as Downtown Owners See Cuts
Sinking Loop office values fuel spike in Chicago residential bills, especially on South, West sides, report shows.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
These Counties Spend Transit Tax Money on Ride Services. They’re Lifelines for Thousands of Residents
Fledgling dial-a-ride networks are filling gaps in public transit in the collar counties, but they struggle to meet demand.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
A Little-Known Legal Loophole Has Scrambled State Efforts to Save Transit Agencies From Financial Disaster
Suburban counties last year spent $83M in RTA sales taxes on jails and courts, and they are not giving that money up as the state scrapes for cash.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Calls For ‘Belt-Tightening’ in Chicago Budget Face Hurdles Amid Few Options for Pain-Free Cuts
Cutting city spending faces at least as many logistical and political challenges as raising taxes, an Illinois Answers Project analysis found.
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
‘Granny Flats’ Poised For Expansion — But Only in Neighborhoods Where Alderpeople Allow Them
The new law will allow more coach house construction and conversions but will likely create confusion and increase costs, advocates say.
Posted inInvestigations
Brace For Impact: Tax Hikes Loom For South, West Side Homeowners
Property assessments double for 37,000 homes in Chicago’s historically neglected neighborhoods amid fresh investor interest.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
‘Granny flats’ are illegal to build in most of Chicago —and political gridlock is keeping it that way.
A three-year pilot program that legalized accessory dwelling units or “granny flats” in some areas of the city opened up more housing options in neighborhoods where cheap apartments have become increasingly rare. But the burst of construction seen so far is a pittance compared to the more than 100,000 affordable units experts say it would take to satisfy demand.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
Amid Budget Tensions, City Council Members Push to Bring Some Sunshine to City Spending
Other big city governments have robust watchdogs, paid for by taxpayers, to analyze city budgets and financial deals. The City Council’s anemic office could use some brawn, some alderpeople argue.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Quiet Use of Bonuses for City Council Aides on the Rise
Alderpeople defend the practice, saying the aides deserve the extra money for their hard work, but critics decry the process as arbitrary.
