Saturday, March 23, 2013
Watch a brief video rundown of recent action in Springfield that could have an impact on your tax bill and money for local schools.
What's happening in Springfield now regarding the state pension crisis will have a long-term impact on your tax bills and the money the state government can afford to send to local schools. Teachers and bus drivers in the suburbs are getting layoff notices and schools are closing in the city of Chicago as the governor projects a cut of $300 million from the state education budget. This week, the Illinois House passed a bill that would trim cost-of-living payments for public retirees. The House previously passed a bill that raises the state employee retirement age incrementally. It's unlikely those measures will pass the Senate, leaving the pension crisis unresolved. Our friends at Reboot Illinois, a non-partisan news and advocacy website…
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Despite 2011's 67 percent state income tax hike — which took a week's pay away from you — the state's financial problems have worsened.
Illinois now has the lowest credit rating of all 50 states. Standard & Poor’s rating services downgraded Illinois’ credit rating last week to A-, with a negative outlook. State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, who blamed the negative rating on inaction on the public pension system by Gov. Pat Quinn and the General Assembly, said Illinois is headed for "fiscal disaster." He said the lower rating will force the state to fork over more money on interest payments. This will affect state universities, road construction and other public institutions because more will go to interest than principal as these projects are paid for. “If you went out to borrow $500 because you have such bad credit, it will cost $95 more in interest than better-rated states…
Saturday, January 19, 2013
State government grows in the dark, like a fungus. • Bill Daley has an idea to take the party out of state elections. • Time magazine mourns for Illinois.
When Gov. Pat Quinn took office in 2009, he promised to take aim at state boards and commissions stocked with politically connected folks drawing large salaries with little oversight into their activities. He would pare down those panels and save you money. Better Government Association investigative reporter Barbara Rose this month looked into whether Quinn delivered: "... more than three years into Quinn’s watch little has changed, except the number of such units is growing. As troubling, many don’t comply with the Illinois Open Meetings Act, according to a report last year by state Auditor General William Holland." In fact, the governor's office is having a hard time keeping up with it all. "With over 322 boards and commissions, …
Friday, January 18, 2013
District 200 Board President Rosemary Swanson delivers "State of the Community" address, discusses education improvements, district finances, energy savings pension reform and the Jefferson referendum.
District 200 Board President Rosemary Swanson on Thursday addressed the district's finances, pension reform, improvements to education and capital improvement plans at the annual "State of the Community" forum at the Wheaton Community Center. Recognition: The College Board recently recognized District 200, one of 539 districts in 44 of 50 states in the U.S. and six Canadian provinces, to make its annual AP District Honor Roll. The honor roll recognizes districts that have increased the number of students who take AP tests without lowering scores across the district. Swanson said District 200 has increased the number of students taking AP tests from 892 to 976 students, taking 1,920 tests. About 87 percent—1,674—of the test results were a 3…
Monday, January 7, 2013
Governor Pat Quinn meets with area legislators to discuss pension reform, with hopes for action by Jan. 9.
Governor Pat Quinn on Friday met with DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and other Republican legislators to push for pension reform by Jan. 9, the end of the current legislative session. “Every day that urgently needed action on pension reform is delayed, the problem gets worse," Governor Quinn said in a statement. "As elected leaders, we have a responsibility to put politics aside and enact a solution that prevents skyrocketing pension costs from squeezing out core services like education, public safety and health care. We can do that now and we should not wait another day." Sign up for the Wheaton Patch daily email newsletter. Without pension reform, the unfunded liability grows by $17.1 million every day, according to a press …
Saturday, December 15, 2012
The representatives and senators leaving office in January 2013 will see millions of dollars in pension payments, figures far more sizable than they would've seen in the private sector.
Are you worried about your own retirement? With the downturn in the economy, did your 401k and savings take a big hit? If so, you're like millions of other Americans forced to confront a dramatically different outlook for their post-work years. But one group of pensioners is largely insulated from such concerns — outgoing Illinois lawmakers. The retirement benefits Illinois legislators receive are far more generous than those most of their constituents could collect working full-time jobs, reports Scott Reeder of the Reeder Report, using data from an Illinois Policy Institute analysis in a piece published on Watchdog.org. The anticipated pension benefits of the 34 lawmakers who will depart the state legislature in January show these …
Monday, December 10, 2012
Patch recaps top news stories from the past week, including a fatal accident involving a car stolen in Wheaton, an accident involving a pedestrian and pension reform.
Here are the top headlines from the week of Dec. 2-8: Visitation Monday, Funeral Tuesday for Zachary Bingham 2 Dead, 2 Injured in Campton Hills Crash Involving Stolen Vehicle Don't want to miss this stuff during the week? Sign up for our free daily newsletter, then like us on Facebook for a slightly different take. Pension Reform Would Mean District 200 Staff, Program Cuts, Bigger Classes Census: Wheaton Above State Average in Homeownership, Income, Education Pedestrian Hit on Geneva Road in Critical Condition Coyote Kills Dog in Warrenville Experts: Anger Is a Natural Response to Tragedy Like Recent Fatal Crash District 200 Transition Program in Mind for Future Improvements Proposed 2012 Tax Levy 'Relatively the Same' as 2011 Levy Shock, …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Proposed pension reform plan would require local school districts to eventually fund all employee pensions.
Illinois legislators Wednesday presented a plan to reduce $95 billion in pension liabilities that would require teachers to pay more toward their retirement benefits and shift the responsibility of public employee pension costs from the state to local school districts. Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook) Wednesday presented the bill she and Rep. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) co-authored, using pieces of previous reform proposals and some new ideas. Sign up for the Wheaton Patch daily email newsletter. Under the new plan, employees would be required to contribute one percent more toward their pensions during the first year of the legislation and two percent in following years. School districts would assume employer costs for the Teachers' …
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Jim Edgar tells Reboot Illinois that tax hikes, program cuts and leadership are desperately needed in Springfield. And Pat Quinn brings you Squeezy the Python.
With Democrats now holding a supermajority in the Illinois House and Senate as well as the governor's office, one might suppose a Democratic agenda would be a slam dunk in Springfield. As recent years have shown, however, single-party control doesn't guarantee the wheels of government grind smoothly. And former Gov. Jim Edgar, who served from 1991 to 1999, suggests that probably won't change anytime soon. In a wide-ranging interview with the new website Reboot Illinois, Edgar says Springfield is less dysfunctional when the two parties share power. "More times than not I think split government works pretty well. The reason is to make the tough decisions you need both parties. It’s hard to get one party to put up all the votes and take all …
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Pension-related amendment to state constitution on Nov. 6 ballot is confusing, catastrophic and fake reform, say foes and legal experts. What you need to know before you vote.
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Saturday, October 27, 2012
By Jayette Bolinski, Illinois Watchdog SPRINGFIELD — Opposition to a proposed pension-related constitutional amendment that will go before Illinois voters Nov. 6 is creating strange bedfellows — from public employee unions to good-government groups that agree the question is not worthy of a change to the state’s constitution and does nothing to address the pension crisis. Groups opposed to the amendment are numerous and come from all walks of life. It’s no surprise that public-employee unions are opposed to the amendment, which requires a three-fifths majority vote before any public body can approve a pension benefit increase. Good-government groups, such as the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and the Illinois Policy Institute, …
David
7:31 pm on Saturday, May 4, 2013
Mr.Reality - I don't think any public worker should get a pension. Let them have SS and defined contribution plans, and the state can match the first 3% like private companies do. more ›