Pension reform vote coming to suburban Chicago township

By Patrick Andriesen

08/14/2024

Barrington Township will be the first local government in Illinois to give taxpayers a vote on reforming the single-largest property tax driver in the state: public pensions. The advisory referendum will be on the ballot Nov. 5.

TAGS: Barrington, pension reform

How to get more than your fair share from an Illinois pension

By Justin Carlson

08/05/2022

Illinois offers generous pensions to public workers, but some workers engage in legal schemes that give them more than their fair share. Here are some common Illinois pension games that taxpayers are forced to fund.

TAGS: corruption, pension reform, pensions

10 Illinois pension abuses show why taxpayers deserve reform

By Justin Carlson

08/04/2022

Illinois’ broken pension system has allowed loopholes and schemes that cheat other pensioners and drive up taxpayers’ burdens. Here are 10 examples.

TAGS: constitutional amendment, Mike Madigan, pension reform, pensions

Taxpayers funded 84% of public employee pensions in 2020

By Patrick Andriesen

07/02/2022

Taxpayer contributions accounted for 56% of the money that flowed into Illinois’ pension funds in 2000. Two decades later, residents funded 84% of public employees’ retirements, yet pension debt is still growing.

TAGS: constitutional amendment, municipal pensions, pension reform, pensions, Springfield

Taxpayer pension costs exceeded Illinois projections by $13.7 billion since 2013

By Justin Carlson

06/17/2022

Unrealistic assumptions and missed investment returns have meant Illinois taxpayers paid $13.7 billion more for public pensions than state leaders projected five years earlier. Unless the estimates improve, taxpayers will pay an extra $21.3 billion during the next decade.

TAGS: debt, JB Pritzker, pension reform, pensions

Poll: bipartisan supermajorities of Illinois voters support constitutional pension reform

By Patrick Andriesen

06/09/2022

Polling showed 61% of Illinois voters would approve an amendment to the state constitution changing future pension benefits while guaranteeing those already earned by public employees. Taxes remain Illinoisans’ top concern.

TAGS: constitutional amendment, Illinois Constitution, pension reform, pensions

Chicago casino revenue doesn’t address 91% of city pension debt

By Dylan Sharkey

05/31/2022

The Chicago City Council approved a casino development in the River West neighborhood. The generated revenue will exclusively pay for pension debt, but only an estimated 9% of what the city needs.

TAGS: casino, Chicago, pension reform

Vermont is the latest state to reform pensions with union support

By Justin Carlson

05/13/2022

Vermont and other blue states have recent pension reforms including reductions in cost of living adjustments. What makes Illinois different?

TAGS: government unions, pension reform, Vermont

Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

Illinois finds itself at a crossroads: will it empower minorities and poor people to unleash their potential, or will it perpetuate an inequitable status quo? For far too many Illinoisans, opportunity is unfairly and unnecessarily out of reach. Illinois ranks in the bottom ten among all states in social mobility and last among Midwest states...

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Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

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Martin Sahagun

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students