Category Archives: Fiscal Reform
Should Elected Officials Have to Clock In for Work?
By Emily Miller This Think Tank post was also published Dec. 29, 2011 by HuffingtonPost.com/Chicago. Emily is the BGA’s Policy and Government Affairs Coordinator. Contact her at emiller@bettergov.org. Follow her on Twitter @EJMill. There is a saying commonly attributed to … Continue reading
Filed under DuPage County, Fiscal Reform, Transparency
Chicago Inspector General Releases 63 ‘Budget Options,’ Proposes $3 Billion in Savings for 2012
Different year. Different administration. Same story: the city of Chicago has a fiscal mess to clean up. To that end, Inspector General Joseph Ferguson releases a “Budget Options Report” meant to “support efforts to balance the budget by arming the … Continue reading
Filed under Fiscal Reform, Inspector General, Streamlining Government, TIFs
Daily Herald Op-Ed: Best Practices for Government Use of ‘P-Cards’
The BGA’s Policy & Government Affairs Coordinator, Emily Miller, shines a light on procurement cards, or p-cards, which are taxpayer-financed debit cards issued directly to government employees to make work-related purchases. P-cards are becoming increasingly pervasive and potentially problematic in … Continue reading
Filed under Fiscal Reform, Procurement
The Trouble with TABORs
The Illinois Constitution requires that the Governor present a balanced budget to the General Assembly each year and that the legislature adopt a budget that’s also balanced. That’s how it’s supposed to work. Unfortunately, Illinois has defied that tradition by … Continue reading
Filed under Fiscal Reform, Legislative Update
Chicago’s Parking Meter Deal a Lesson in ‘Worst Practices’
Some major U.S. cities are watching the fallout from Chicago’s controversial parking meter leasing deal and don’t like what they’re seeing. At a time when more municipalities and agencies are trying to ease heavy debt loads by spinning off publicly … Continue reading
Filed under Fiscal Reform, Transparency
Controversial Public Pension Vote is Latest Chapter in Illinois’ Dismal Fiscal Saga
Illinois’ fiscal crisis goes on and on. The latest installment of this financial tragedy plays out this month as state lawmakers search for a way to meet an estimated $4 billion public pension payment due by yearend. By any standard … Continue reading
Filed under Fiscal Reform
