There simply aren't enough rental homes available to extremely
low-income households in Illinois, according to a new report, and
housing advocates say that needs to change in order to prevent increased
homelessness in the state.
In a show of victory, about 50 activists returned to the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) yesterday with a giant check for $33 million — and the now infamous golden toilet meant to symbolize the millions of dollars in TIF money allocated to the CME Group to renovate CBOT's bathrooms. The giant check was indicative of the collective $33 million in TIF funds that were returned last week — including the $15 million the CME Group turned down — by Bank of America, CNA, and the financial exchange.
“We took our money back from CME, and now we’re ready to get that money for jobs for our people,” said Charles Brown, a retired police officer and organizer with Action Now, at the rally.
The following is an op-ed from Celeste Meiffren, field director with Illinois PIRG.
Yesterday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that he will be immediately
implementing some of the reforms proposed by his Tax Increment Financing
(TIF) Reform Panel five months ago. All of the proposed reforms are
necessary to fix TIF and need to become law before more of our tax
dollars are wasted.
Every year, $500 million worth of property
tax revenue collected from Chicago taxpayers flows into a funding pool
that, up until very recently, has been completely off the books—allowing
for an out-of-control spending spree to well-connected developers and
other special interests. Read more »
Community organizations declared city hall a crime scene this morning due to proposed cuts to basic city services in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s budget proposal. The mayor's suggested cuts come while he is simultaneously advocating for tax breaks for profitable corporations. In Emanuel’s current version of the budget, just 20 percent of the tax increment financing (TIF) surplus is directed at aiding the city's more than $600 million budget gap. Activists and aldermen would like to see at least 50 percent of the $300 million surplus added to this year's budget as a way to avoid cuts to critical services.
“Corporate Chicago continues to have access to hundreds of millions of dollars of our tax dollars,” said Beniamino Capellupo, an organizer with Grassroots Collaborative who dressed up as Sherlock Holmes to investigate the crime scene. “The mayor and our alderman still have the chance to do the right thing by working families in Chicago and declare greater a TIF surplus so that our tax dollars keep our mental health clinics open, our schools vibrant and our libraries available.”
Take Back Chicago activists focused their efforts on the plight of Chicago schools yesterday targeting toxic financial deals and corporate welfare through tax increment financing districts (TIFs).
In the afternoon, more than 100 people set their sights on the Bank of America headquarters, a popular spot for protests this week, by marching through its lobby. Community groups, along with members of the Chicago Teachers Union, want the bank to renegotiate financial deals with Chicago Public Schools that they claim are costing the eductaion system $36 million every year.
The report released by Inspector General Joe Ferguson on Monday that documents developers being forced to donate taxpayer dollars to the politically-connected After School Matters underscores the point that the TIF system must be reformed.
It is troubling that Chicago taxpayer money was abused so egregiously by city officials. Even more worrisome, the city continues to lack transparency in TIF deals, allowing the continued possibility of corruption in taxpayer dollars.
The mayor's task force on Tax Increment Financing (TIF) will be holding a public hearing on July 28 to get input from Chicagoans on ways to create more transparency and efficiency within the system.
Many eyes are watching Ameya Pawar as he gets settled into his new job as the
47th Ward aldermen. After coming out the victor in an against-all-odds
upset in the affluent ward on the North Side, the 30-year-old talked to
Progress Illinois this week about his priorities for the next few months.
Ald. Pawar says he will spend the next six weeks focusing on
getting tax-increment financing (TIF) money funneled to the dozen schools in his
ward. He has an upcoming meeting with Chicago Public Schools officials
to materialize plans. Pawar -- who was endorsed by the Chicago
Teacher’s Union -- called CPS “great partners”, adding “I’m not the expert at enhancing schools in curriculum, but if
you put dollars in the right facilities, the change in outcome affects
the students and perception.” Read more »
There simply aren't enough rental homes available to extremely
low-income households in Illinois, according to a new report, and
housing advocates say that needs to change in order to prevent increased
homelessness in the state.
In a show of victory, about 50 activists returned to the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) yesterday with a giant check for $33 million — and the now 
The following is an op-ed from Celeste Meiffren, field director with Illinois PIRG.
Community organizations declared city hall a crime scene this morning due to proposed cuts to basic city services in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s budget proposal. The mayor's suggested cuts come while he is simultaneously advocating for tax breaks for profitable corporations. In Emanuel’s current version of the budget, just 20 percent of the tax increment financing (TIF) surplus is directed at aiding the city's more than $600 million budget gap. Activists and aldermen would like to see at least 50 percent of the $300 million surplus added to this year's budget as a way to avoid cuts to critical services.
Take Back Chicago activists focused their efforts on the plight of Chicago schools yesterday targeting toxic financial deals and corporate welfare through tax increment financing districts (TIFs).
Many eyes are watching Ameya Pawar as he gets settled into his new job as the
47th Ward aldermen. After coming out the victor in an against-all-odds
