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Illinois spends blindly on what other nations and states increasingly protest, even violently.
Ted talked with Tom Miller of WJPF Radio about all the tax and fee hikes that were a part of the 2020 budget state budget and the massive $45 billion infrastructure bill. Some of those hikes have been in place since July, but even more are going to be imposed come January 1st of next year.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will be in Iowa tomorrow and is scheduled to take the stage with Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for a public question-and answer session. It’s part of an event that pairs city leaders who haven’t endorsed in the presidential race with a candidate
Comment: A description of the muni bond industry that we find (um, how can we say this politely?) novel: “The opportunity to work in this industry with all of you has been extraordinary. The values, the vision of the people in public finance, my colleagues, my clients and, yes even my competitors — we all shared a journey because we want to leave this world a little better than it was…. We are unique as a financials services sector because we actually care about people.”
Pritzker on Thursday appointed former Illinois Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno to a newly formed ethics commission.
The governor on Wednesday named his four appointees to the commission, including former state Rep. Steven Andersson. Andersson was one of a dozen Republicans who joined Democrats to vote for a budget and income tax hike in July 2017 over the objections of former Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Andersson, however, was a lobbyist until June 28. The resolution bars anyone who registered or worked as a lobbyist in the previous five years.
The commission yesterday approved a $17 million reduction in ComEd’s delivery rates as requested by the utility. In a release, ComEd delivered the good news, saying the average residential customer would see their monthly electric bill decline by 60 cents next year.
But the release didn’t tell the whole story. ComEd’s net rates actually will climb by $33 million next year thanks to a move late last month to boost ComEd’s customer charge by $50 million for the energy-efficiency programs it administers. That Nov. 26 ICC ruling wasn’t the subject of any ComEd press release.
In 2018, Illinois saw 10,000 permits issued for new single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The state averaged around 40,000 permits a year prior to the Great Recession. That 75% plunge is the worst decline of any state in the nation. Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri have all seen more single-family home construction than Illinois for three years running.
A republication of our Wirepoints article.
Which matters more:
Providing the necessary funding for the intellectually disabled to be able to access group homes and day programs after they age out of the public school system?
Or preserving, in the state pension plans, the 3% fixed annual cost-of-living increases, and unreduced retirement as early as age 55*?
Senate Republicans are closely monitoring and mulling over Minority Leader Bill Brady’s reaction to a recent rift that opened up between him and state Senator Jason Plummer over ethics and how forcefully or strategically to confront corruption.
Lightfoot agreed to pay striking teachers 16% over five years with staffing increases and other perks that pushed the overall price tag to $1.5 billion amid concern that would become the floor for police officers and firefighters.
Those fears turned out to be wrong.
Rank-and-file police officers won’t be content with simply matching the teachers. Their union is demanding an 18% pay raise over three years.
“Our goal is not to immediately deliver as much access to recreational cannabis as possible as quickly as possible,” Pritzker said while signing a measure that tweaks the landmark legalization bill he signed in June.
Rather, Pritzker said, the overarching aim of the legalization law is “to address the inequities that have wreaked havoc on many of our communities.”
The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s special pension report released this week shows yet again how strong markets and ever-more taxpayer funds can’t fix the flaws in the state’s politician-run pension system.
“By any measure, Illinois pays a huge amount to meets its statutory pension funding requirements. The debate about pension funding can only be improved if commentators use accurate numbers.”
Federal authorities have asked questions about Democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his political operation as part of an ongoing investigation, four people who have been interviewed told the Tribune.
The sources, all of whom requested anonymity, said FBI agents and prosecutors asked about connections between Commonwealth Edison lobbyists and Madigan, lobbyists giving contracts to people tied to the speaker, and city, state and suburban government jobs held by his associates.
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