Thanks to organizer Erica Sagrans for posting this to Facebook! We are in the process of re-designing the space so it will be fun and super friendly and useful to be at. Please stop by at 114 N. Aberdeen to see what we have planned for the CivicLab!
Contact us at info@civiclab.us.
At least ONE of the major reasons. Because the state’s contribution to public education is so shockingly low, school districts in Illinois rely heavily on local property taxes to fund their schools. So, anything that diverts property taxes from public schools places a burden on an already under-funded public education system. Likewise, if you live in a town or city where the property tax revenues are high, your school system will be better off. From “Illinois Kids Count 2013.”
Sign the petition aimed at Mayor Emanuel – “Empty the TIF accounts!“
From a press conference held outside the State of Illinois Building on August 2, 2013. The Chicago Teachers Union and the RAISE your Hand Coalition of concerned public school parents delivered a letter to Attorney General Lisa Madigan asking her to get the true story of where our $1.7 billion in TIF funds are being held.
Join with over 3,000 people who have signed this online petition to the mayor from The TIF Illumination Project demanding that the TIF accounts be emptied and all property taxes turned over to the units of government that should’ve gotten those dollars in the first place.
MoveOn has awarded the CivicLab a $1,000 Opportunity Fund grant to support the TIF IlluminationProject’s online petition drive aimed at getting the $1.7 billion in property tax funds that were in TIF accounts on January 1, 2013 distributed to the units of government that should’ve received those funds in the first place. Over 3,000 people have signed in three weeks! Thanks, MoveOn!
Thanks to eight volunteers The TIF Illumination Project has analyzed all 154 of Chicago ‘s 154 2012 TIF Annual Reports. We determined that at the end of 2012 these TIFs had a combined fund balance of $1.7 billion. See this page for the rest of our findings.
CivicLab co-founder Tom Tresser will be in the featured debate at the 2013 Bughouse Square Debate on Saturday, July 27 in front of the Newberry Library. The topic is “Should The City Subsidize The Cubs To Keep Them In Chicago?” I’ll be on the “NO WAY, NO HOW” side. On the other side will be Lester Munson, reporter for ESPN.
Got any good arguments he can use? Email them to him at tom@tresser.com. Thanks!
The CivicLab has a home!
We are so excited to announce that as of July 1, 2013 we have moved into the first floor of an 1870’s firehouse at 114 N. Aberdeen in the West Loop!
We are seeking people and organizations to co-work with us, that is, to rent space at the CivicLab and to hang with us when you need a place to work and meet.
We are also seeking people to teach classes and workshops on a broad range of civic and science topics. See our main page on this website for full details.
WE NEED STUFF! If you have furniture, computer gear, book shelves, tools and other items that would help us get started – PLEASE DROP THEM OFF ON SATURDAY, JULY 20, between 10am and 7pm. For more information, please call 312-857-6485 or email info@civiclab.us
Please drop by any week day from 10am to 6pm!
Neighbors from Logan Square want to know what TIFs are doing to their community. Even though The TIF Illumination Project was supposed to be on summer break after doing 12 Wards in four months – we couldn’t say no. So – join us on July 18 at Haas Park at 6:30pm when we talk TIFs in Logan Square. Details and RSVP at Facebook, http://tinyurl.com/
The volunteers of the CivicLab’s TIF Illumination Project are honored to be profiled in the July 22 issue of The Nation in a cover story feature entitled, “Chicago Rising.” The author attended the 4th Ward TIF Illumination on May 13. You can see all the presentations made at all 12 Ward Illuminations here – http://tifreports.com/tif-town-meetings.
It was a packed house at the Loyola Park field house on July 1. Despite a beautifully balmy summer night, over 100 people came to see the TIFs of the 49th Ward Illuminated.
Thanks to Don Gordon and the other organizers for pulling off a great meeting.
That makes 89 TIFs Illuminated in 12 wards though 15 meetings in four months. Time to take a break and evaluate this project.
Here is the presentation. The audio is 55 minutes long.
