A judge later invalidated the sale, but Sawyer, who is running for mayor, notes he was dismissed from the court case involving the purchase, with no finding of wrongdoing
Government Finance & Accountability
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
A Revived Push for a Labor Peace Agreement With City Nonprofits
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd) told the Illinois Answers Project she was disheartened by nonprofit leaders who showed their opposition for an ordinance that would bar employers from interfering in union organizing efforts.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Chicago Boards the ‘Social Bonds’ Bandwagon — And Gets Results
The trendy debt maneuver has been tried in other major cities with some success
Posted inFollow-Up
Feds Probing Massive State Contract that Failed Foster Kids with Inadequate Health Care
An investigation by the Illinois Answers Project found that insurance giant Centene Corp. routinely fell short in providing basic care. Federal officials now want answers from the two state agencies overseeing the program.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Cook County TIF revenues smash records, squeeze taxpayers
Tax-increment financing districts raked in $1.6 billion in 2021, accounting for nearly 10 cents of every dollar in taxes paid by Cook County property owners last year.
Posted inInvestigations
Cook County Office Looks to Shed Anti-Patronage Monitor as Watchdog Raises Alarm
Clerk Karen Yarbrough says her office has rooted out clout-based hiring. Attorney Michael Shakman isn’t so sure.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Towns, School Districts Getting Millions of More Dollars in Property Taxes Thanks to a New, Little-Known State Law
For the first time this year, taxing bodies will automatically charge property owners for governments’ taxation errors.
Posted inFollow-Up
Governor Will Sign into Law Measure to Prohibit State Investments in Russian Companies
Following criticism by some Republicans for failing to pass a law in April, lawmakers approved a bipartisan measure that would order state pension funds to divest from Russian stocks and bonds.
Posted inInvestigations
Lightfoot administration pushing TIF renewals to funnel billions in tax dollars into hot neighborhoods
The mayor campaigned on reining in tax-increment financing and has in some instances but is continuing the controversial practice in some affluent areas that critics say don’t need them.
Posted inInvestigations
Tax sale process hits Black homeowners hardest
The property tax sale process that can result in people losing their homes robs those communities of generational wealth, critics say. And Cook County’s last-chance fund to help make some of those homeowners whole is years behind in paying claims.