On February 21, as required by state statute, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker released his state budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 (FY25), which runs from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. This kicks off the annual state budget process…
Cook County’s elected leaders are taking an in-depth look at how the property tax system affects taxpayers and the communities that need services to thrive. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Government…
The dramatic drop in retail spending caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is significantly reducing local government revenues, which is most concerning for communities that heavily rely on sales tax from general merchandise (not food and drug sales). Of the 284…
Our nation and the world are experiencing an unprecedented event with the coronavirus pandemic. Illinois’ stay at home order, starting March 21, 2020, caused an immediate reduction in demand by cutting off supply of nonessential goods and services — driving…
The spring legislative session closed with the successful passage of an operating budget and other notable pieces of legislation, in addition to a suite of measures to boost capital infrastructure investments. This analysis provides a synopsis of these measures and…
Metropolitan Chicago is North America’s premier freight hub, with large concentrations of truck, rail, air, and water shipments providing connections to all parts of the country. This robust freight network ensures that residents and businesses in the region and across…
Sales taxes in Illinois are imposed primarily on tangible goods, not consumer services. This structure has led to unintended consequences for the State and local governments that rely on sales taxes, particularly as consumer behavior changes. Consumer expenditures on services…
The region’s transportation system is facing significant challenges, including decades of underinvestment and declining revenues. ON TO 2050 estimates that the cost of operating and maintaining the transportation system in its current state of disrepair will exceed the funds expected…
The transportation system in northeastern Illinois — a vast multimodal system of roads, bridges, transit, railroads, airports, waterways, and ports — has historically been and continues to be a strategic advantage for the region. This system is essential to our…
Illinois state and local governments spend or forgo significant tax revenues to spur and support economic development. But we have a limited understanding of the value of those investments. This challenge extends to metropolitan Chicago, a 2017 Pew Charitable Trusts…