Cook County Board Commissioner Mike Quigley says a
widely used economic development tool intended to revitalize blighted areas is
being misused, and he’s calling for reform. Among the problems Quigley cites
with tax increment financing (TIF) is its overuse and “astounding lack of
accountability.” He’s hoping to resolve the latter issue by requiring the county
to list taxes collected for TIF on property tax bills. MPC Vice President of
External Relations Peter Skosey says that while it’s right to re-examine whether
all TIFs are being applied properly (the Illinois General Assembly last amended the TIF statute in
1998
), the use of TIFs is an important redevelopment tool
that should continue to be available to communities in need of renewal. For
instance, said Skosey, TIFs have been instrumental in
revitalizing
Chicago ’s industrial corridors in Pilsen
and
Calumet
Harbor.
“In disinvested communities,
TIFs help attract new development and overcome blight by paying for improvements
such as new sidewalks, lighting and environmental remediation,” said Skosey.
“While it’s sensible to periodically examine whether all TIFs are being applied
to truly blighted areas, TIFs are crucial to maintaining our competitive
economic edge by making communities more attractive and, therefore, more likely
to draw state and federal dollars for future infrastructure
improvements.”
MPC contact: Peter Skosey, Vice President of External Relations,
312.863.6004, pskosey@metroplanning.org
A+ Illinois Deciphers Candidates’ Code on School Funding Reform
In the past year, A+ Illinois
(co-led by MPC and seven other
groups) has played a key role in elevating school funding and property tax
reform as a top election-year concern for voters and candidates alike. For the
first time in Illinois’ decades-long fight for fair school funding, A+ Illinois
has united a broad coalition of civic, education, children’s advocacy, business,
labor, civil rights, faith-based, human services, and community organizations
under one mission: to change Illinois’ school funding system to reduce the
reliance on property taxes and ensure the quality of a child’s education does
not depend on where he lives.
By representing the struggles facing rural, suburban and urban
school districts – and their surrounding communities – A+ Illinois has become a
go-to source for reporters working on stories related to local or statewide
school funding and property tax reform. As the election season heats up, A+
Illinois can provide information ranging from policy analyses to real stories of
students, teachers and property owners hurt by
Illinois
’ broken school funding system. In
addition, the campaign recently evaluated the leading gubernatorial candidates’
plans to fund our schools and reduce the burden on local property taxpayers. The
verdict: neither Gov. Rod Blagojevich nor Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka has earned
acceptable grades for their plans.
“Illinois leaders should be embarrassed
that our state ranks 47th in the nation for the state’s share of education
funding,”
said Bindu
Batchu, A+ Illinois
campaign manager. “All candidates for state offices must take responsibility for
these issues by coming up with sustainable plans for
reform.”
MPC contact: MarySue Barrett, President, 312 .863.6001, msbarrett@metroplanning.org
Contact: Bindu
Batchu, Campaign Manager, A+ Illinois, 312.863.6014, bbatchu@aplusillinois.org
Mark Your Calendars: MPC Packs Autumn Agenda with Events across the Region
Need fodder for calendar items, story ideas, or a way to nab that elusive
source? Pencil us in! Through November, MPC’s calendar is filled with
roundtables, workshops and conferences on topics ranging from what’s being done
to prevent flooding in our region to how public transit has become a vital part
of redeveloping disinvested communities. Upcoming events include the following:
Public-Private Partnerships Workshop
Wednesday, Oct. 4,
Union League Club, Chicago
The explosion of interest in public-private
partnerships for funding infrastructure in Illinois has prompted many questions
on how best to use this valuable tool to maintain our competitive edge. Experts
from the public and private sectors will discuss how public-private partnerships
can be put to best use at this one-day workshop sponsored by MPC, Business
Leaders for Transportation, and the National Council for Public-Private
Partnerships. Register here
for the workshop.
MPC 2006 Fall Roundtable Series
This series will
feature four distinct sessions, in downtown Chicago, at which expert panels will
discuss the chosen topic, followed by a moderated question-and-answer session.
Each roundtable begins at noon. Lunch will be served. The series will cover the
following topics:
Friday, Oct. 13: Wanted: Promising,
Market-Oriented Rental Housing Strategies
Friday, Oct. 20:
Managing Stormwater and Planning for Water Supply
Thursday, Nov.
2: A Second Look: Reinvesting in Transit-Rich
Communities
Thursday, Nov. 16: Revival of the Fittest:
Is Your Neighborhood Ready?
Visit MPC's Web
calendar to register for these roundtables.
First Annual Governor’s Conference on Affordable
Housing
Tuesday, Oct. 17, through Wednesday, Oct. 18, Chicago
History Museum, Chicago
This conference will bring together hundreds of
practitioners from the diverse fields that make housing development possible in
Illinois, ranging from developers to advocates, to build on the statewide
momentum to increase the quality and affordability of housing. Visit the Illinois
Housing Development Authority's Web site for details.
Rail~Volution: Building Livable Communities with
Transit
Sunday, Nov. 5, through Wednesday, Nov. 8, Marriott
Magnificent Mile Hotel in Chicago and various locations across the tri-state
region
This three-day conference will explore how innovative leaders are
connecting jobs, homes, entertainment, and transportation options to create
communities that work. Rail~Volution will feature more than 20 mobile workshops
that take participants to various locations across the tri-state region,
highlighting why metropolitan Chicago is known as "the granddaddy of
transit-oriented development." Visit Rail~Volution's Web site
to register.
Media is invited to attend all events free of charge. Details on these and
other events – including speakers, exact times and locations, and registration
requirements – are available on MPC’s Web calendar, www.metroplanning.org/calendar.asp
.