Articles filed under On Guard
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Towns spending 33% of property taxes on pensions
Jan 26, 2020 5:30 AM - On average, suburbs are spending the equivalent of a third of the property taxes collected each year on pension costs. Municipal leaders say it's only going to grow because pension debt is growing as well.
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Mendoza: State won't collect red light camera fines. Suburbs: We'll get someone else to do it
Jan 11, 2020 4:59 PM - Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza's decision to stop garnishing money owed by red light scofflaws jeopardizes almost $2 million for 21 suburbs annually. She says the fines disproportionally hit poor people and cites corruption within the red light camera industry, but some surburbs say they'll just find someone else to handle collections.
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Why administrative costs add millions to public safety pensions
Dec 21, 2019 7:50 PM - The nearly 650 suburban and downstate fire and police pension funds spend almost five times more per person on administrative costs than the statewide pension plans do, and most of those costs won't go down when the pension funds' investments are merged. Here's why.
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Illinois spent $8.5 billion to cut its pension debt. It wasn't enough.
Dec 7, 2019 4:28 PM - Illinois' pension debt has risen to $137 billion, the largest ever and about half a billion dollars more than a state commission predicted in April.
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A drop in people, a $1 billion rise in property taxes
Dec 2, 2019 6:40 AM - Property tax collections by local governments in Illinois increased nearly $1 billion between 2017 and 2018 even as the state lost thousands of residents over that year.
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Public safety pension investment returns are missing targets -- by nearly $1 billion
Nov 9, 2019 5:45 PM - Over the past five years, 642 public safety pension funds in the suburbs and downstate have received more than $3.2 billion in investment returns. However, those funds were expected to generate at least $4.1 billion from investments, a nearly $1 billion miss.
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Can a state senator who's not under federal probe sponsor this fire pension bill?
Oct 19, 2019 4:06 PM - The fate of a bill that would limit firefighters to a single pension is in the hands of a state senator under federal investigation, but there's a way the House sponsor can wrest it from that senator's control.
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Casino revenues fall, but video gambling bolsters state's wagering
Sep 21, 2019 4:36 PM - Gambling revenue hit its highest level ever last year with a take of more than $1.4 billion. The increase was almost solely due to a nearly $50 million spike in video gambling revenues, while casino revenue dropped again.
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12 area school districts will have to raise starting teachers' salaries to $40,000 a year
Sep 12, 2019 1:47 PM - Some suburban school districts will have to raise starting salaries by as much as 22% over the next five years to meet a new $40,000 state minimum pay requirement for educators.
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$50,000 or $35 million: Which schools got the most in new state funding
Aug 12, 2019 12:44 PM - The state's new evidence-based funding formula for public schools has added more than $150 million to suburban school districts' education funds, allowing some districts to add needed personnel and lower class sizes.
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