The state high court said county board members only need to comply with the pension rules that were in place when they first were elected, and a state law stating otherwise violates the pensions clause.
Less than 50 cents of every additional property tax dollar over the last 20 years went to pay for services that raise home values. Instead, the primary driver of the rise in property taxes was pension costs.
A new report of Illinois public employee pay by government transparency advocate Open the Books shows 144 local government employees in the state making more than $190,000, out-earning every governor.
St. Clair County Chief Judge John Baricevic owned shares of several corporations and held an interest in at least 25 investment funds as of March 14, according to his statement of economic interests at the Illinois Supreme Court
Madison County Treasurer Kurt Prenzler doubts whether all county board members currently enrolled in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) are putting in the necessary hours for eligibility in the pension fund.
Among 20 Madison County board members and officials who expect to collect state pensions, not one has yet signed a certificate saying that he or she earned it.
For every dollar that an employee enrolled in the State Employee Retirement System (SERS) pays into their own retirement fund, taxpayers are forced to pay $6.78, according to analysis conducted by a taxpayers' watchdog group.
The phenomenal support for presidential candidate Donald Trump may be a mystery to pols and pundits, but not to ordinary people who share the widespread disgust for our increasingly unrepresentative government.
The top Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) beneficiaries in Madison and St. Clair counties are among the state's highest paid. And both of them - a lawmaker and a judge - are accruing benefits in other pension systems that will provide even more tax payer-supported income for life when they retire a second time.
SPRINGFIELD — A task force aimed at the Illinois local government glut began shaping its report to the governor and legislature Thursday as members approved nine proposals.Most of the items passed with little or no opposition, but a handful are expected to draw debate should they make into bill form and be considered by the General Assembly.
Here are five facts that speak to IMRF’s sustainability: 1. IMRF’s fiduciary net position increased from $25.1 billion in 2010 to $34.9 billion in 2014, an increase of almost $10 billion...
Property tax payers in the City of Alton contributed $1.96 million to the city's fire fighter pension fund in fiscal year 2014, while 47 active members currently receiving salaries contributed $291,197 in payroll deductions to the fund. And almost twice as many beneficiaries - 87 retirees, surviving spouses or dependents - drew $3,477,300 in benefits last year.
Everyone in Illinois knows that government-run pension debt threatens the state’s fiscal solvency, with debt for state-run pensions totaling more than $100 billion.
SPRINGFIELD – Public employee pension funds paid $13,984,668,514 in benefits to 438,814 persons in 2012, according to the Illinois Department of Insurance. Benefits averaged $31,869 per person. Retired workers averaged $34,965, while disabled workers averaged $28,338 and survivors averaged $13,951. More than five persons received benefits for every seven active workers. Payroll for 605,872 active workers totaled $32,334,757,164, roughly $2.30 for every pension dollar.
