The Problem Too often, local governments go about “business as usual” for years, even when they could get a better deal for the same or better level of service. Recently, many communities have started questioning their “business as usual” routine as it becomes increasingly clear that repeatedly raising taxes to generate additional revenue is not...
Problem Illinois needs more cost-efficient, quality-driven spending activity at the local and state levels of government. Illinois’s state budget has exploded from $24.7 billion in 2004 to $32.2 billion in 2009, increasing nearly 30 percent over just five years. The state needs better spending practices, more transparency in the procurement process, and a tool to...
Joe and Kathy Ray are trying to stretch the value of their dollars in these tight times. They have four kids in grade school, and saving for college sits at the top of their priority list. As two frugal parents, they routinely shop around for the best deal–clipping coupons, bidding on new and used products...
The Problem Imagine you’re about to have heart surgery. Would you want your doctor operating on your heart in the dark? Or without looking at your x-ray first? Without an x-ray, he wouldn’t know where to operate, the severity of your sickness or understand exactly what he needs to do in order to save your...
We’ve joined with Citizens Against Government Waste to put together the book that Springfield doesn’t want you to read, highlighting over $686 million in wasteful spending. Highlights include: $4 million for a Ford Technical Training Center in Chicago Heights $1 million for the Illinois film office in Chicago $920,000 for the Chicago Aerospace Education Initiative $550,000 for the conservation of pheasants...
Do Illinois citizens deserve to know where their tax dollars go? Less than ten years ago, a state audit found that many of our public officials didn’t think so. More than two-thirds of requests for public documents, the study found, were turned away at local offices. More than a quarter of them were denied altogether....