Even as the race for school board president race has claimed the spotlight, district-level competitions are seeing an influx of cash and intense campaigning, including a wave of attack ads.
Government Finance & Accountability
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Special Taxing Districts’ Uncertain Future Looms Over Historic School Board Races
Candidates running for Chicago school board have different views on how to account for TIF surpluses in the district’s annual budget.
Posted inFollow-Up
Chicago Leaders ‘Optimistic’ an Apartment Registry Will Boost City’s Troubled Record on Building Safety
Many of the buildings in the city with the most violations have unclear ownership, an Illinois Answers Project analysis found.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Evanston Faces $20M Discrepancy in Motor Fuel Tax Fund After Years of State Warnings
The Illinois Department of Transportation has repeatedly expressed concerns about Evanston’s motor fuel tax expenditures. Now, a city council member wants to improve competition for contracts and compel the city to follow state rules.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
A ‘Backdoor Loophole’ is Pushing Up Property Taxes With Little Accountability
An obscure financing tool is quietly raising property taxes to pay for a growing range of spending, an Illinois Answers Project and Mansueto Institute analysis found.
Posted inInvestigations
Lights, Camera, Tax Credits
llinois lawmakers give big boost to movie industry while academics claim the Hollywood giveaway is a bad deal for taxpayers
Posted inFollow-Up
Illinois Regulators Propose Expansion to Self-Exclusion Program for Compulsive Gamblers
The changes could open new ways to self-ban through mail, online or through provider referrals.
Posted inInvestigations
Chicago Officials Raised Concerns About South Chicago Chapel Nearly a Year Before Discovery of 56 Decomposing Bodies, Records Show
A City Council member’s office complained to city officials twice in one week that residents were griping about odors from the business.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Data Centers Near O’Hare Win Nearly $100M in Local Tax Breaks, Leaving Suburban Homeowners to Cover the Gap
Northwest suburban data centers had nearly $2 billion knocked off their taxable property values, an Illinois Answers Project/Chicago Tribune analysis shows.
