Category Archives: Community

Englewood Neighborhood TIF Illuminated May 4

Join us in Englewood on Saturday, May 4 at 10am at the Kelly Library when we Illuminate just one TIF. We will be exposing the Englewood Neighborhood TIF that morning. Details and RSVP via Facebook @ http://tinyurl.com/TIF-Forum-May-4.

To get you in the mood to Illuminate, take this quick multiple choice question.

If you live inside the Englewood Neighborhood TIF, you would see that it is shown on your property tax bill as having “0” impact – that is, no property taxes taken. However, the TRUE percentage of your property taxes gobbled up by that TIF is:

(a) 16%
(b) 27%
(c) 48%
(d) 68%

We’ll reveal the answer, and many more amazing facts about TIFs, on May 4!

46th Ward Gets Illuminated April 11!

Join us at The Peoples Church on April 11 at 7pm when we Illuminate the six TIFs inside the 46th Ward. If the last five TIF town meetings are any guides, then this meeting is going to ROCK! You can get the details and RSVP via Facebook @ http://tinyurl.com/TIF-Forum-April-11.

We invite to learn what TIFs are doing in YOUR community. TO schedule a TIF Illumination for your ward, email tom@civiclab.us.

8th and 9th Ward TIFs Illuminated

Review the presentation deck and listen to the audio (47 minutes) from the TIF Town Meeting held on April 6 at Chicago State University. 9th ward Alderman Anthony Beale came in about half-way through the presentation and stayed to answer a number of heated questions from attendees.

TIFs in the 8th and 9th Wards from Thomas Tresser

8th & 9th Ward Double Illumination

Join us at Chicago State University on Saturday, April 6. We will be Illuminating the many, many TIFs inside the 8th and 9th Wards. Details and RSVP at Facebook = http://tinyurl.com/TIF-Forum-April-6

The evolving schedule and documentation of past meetings is at http://tifreports.com/tif-town-meetings.

Coverage Of 7th Ward Illumination

In 30+ years of civic engagement work I’ve never seen a project take off like this. This was the fourth TIF town meeting in seven weeks. There are four more coming up and four more after that in the works!

From Progress Illinois, “Dozens of South Shore residents weren’t too happy upon learning that a portion of their property taxes have been used as part of the city’s tax increment financing, or TIF, program.

Tom Tresser, co-founder of the CivicLab, came to the 7th Ward, and is heading to others, as part of the volunteer-based TIF Illumination Project, which is intended to promote TIF transparency and provide Chicago residents with a snapshot of what the program is — or isn’t — doing for their communities.

“I can’t believe that it’s so much money that’s out there that the community does not know about that’s not channeling back into our community, especially with all the schools closing,” Renita Jones, a South Shore resident of more than 14 years, said after Saturday’s meeting.

“It’s just amazing to me that (the city is) saying there’s no funds, and we have millions of [TIF] dollars that’s available that’s going to the corporate district, but the lower-class people are suffering from it,” Jones added.”

TIF Town Hall Meeting In South Shore March 30

Join us in South Shore on Saturday, March 30 to talk TIFs in the 7th Ward. We’ll be Illuminating the five active TIFs there. Preview: In 2011 those TIFs extracted $1.4 million from property owners in the 7th Ward.
Details of the event on Facebook.

TIF Illumination On WVON March 23

TIF Illuminators Tom Tresser and Bea Jasper (organizer of the Englewood TIF Town Meeting) will be on “The GreenPreneur Show” on WVON on Saturday night, March 23, from 5-6pm. Listen live here. The call in number is 773-591-1690. Let’s talk TIFs on the South Side. Our next TIF Town Meeting is in South Shore on March 30. Connect with the TIF Illumination Project.

Privatization Deal Keeps On Giving (To Morgan Stanley)

From the Chicago Sun-Times: “Chicago taxpayers have been hit with a $57.8 million ruling in favor of the private company that runs four city-owned, downtown parking garages — stuck with that bill because former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration mistakenly allowed a competing garage to open nearby, according to documents obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has 90 business days to appeal the Feb. 25 decision by a panel of independent arbitrators regarding Chicago Loop Parking LLC’s claim that City Hall violated the terms of its 99-year garage-privatization deal by subsequently approving plans for a garage in the 82-story Aqua building, about a block from the company’s nearest garage.”

Washington Park TIF Town Meeting Packed!

I presented on the six TIFs in the 20th Ward at the Washington Park TIF Town Meeting. Wow. It was packed. Cliff Kelley was the emcee and the attendees had LOTS of questions. We are on to something with the TIF Illumination Project! Below are the presentations plus audio (56 minutes).

TIFs in the 20th Ward from Thomas Tresser

Watch Feb 12 TIF Town Meeting

Thanks to the great folks at CAN-TV you can watch the February 12 TIF Town Meeting produced by The Tax Integrity and Fairness Alliance at the Chopin Theater (1 hour, 22 minutes). View the media coverage and my presentation materials on the impacts of the 12 TIFs inside the 27th Ward here.