Category Archives: TIF Town Meeting

TIF Presentations Viewed 44,000+ Times!

We upload all the TIF presentations to http://www.slideshare.net/tomtee. These presentations have been viewed over 44,000 times!

The champ is the two presentations on the 27th ward which were viewed a total 4,292 times.Thar works out to something like 10 views every day since they were uploaded.

So – if you are one of the people whose viewed these presentations and found them valuable – PLEASE support our work by (1) signing our email list at http://tinyurl.com/SignUp-CivicLab, (2) consider renting a desk with us (we’re in Chicago’s West Loop), and (3) making a deducible contribution via our fiscal agent, the Investigative News Network – http://tinyurl.com/SupportTheLab-INN. Contact Tom Tresser at tom@civiclab.us.

Chicago Reader Cites Work of TIF Project

Thanks to tireless TIF reporter Ben Joravsky of The Chicago Reader for this wonderful piece. He connects the dots from the supposed state of Chicago’s finances to the plight of our public schools and the tens of millions, nay, hundreds of millions of property tax dollars, we shower on major corporations.

None of this work would’ve been possible without the hundreds of hours contributed by our all volunteer team of coders, map makers, graphic designers, researchers and community organizers who – collectively – have now Illuminated 127 TIFs across 29 wards. The full record of these forums are here. If you want YOUR ward Illuminated, contact us at tom@civiclab.us.

When we Illuminate a ward we tell you: (1) overview of how TIFs work in Chicago, (2) how many TIFs in the ward, (3) best estimate of how much $ those TIFs took from your ward, (4) how much money left in TIF accounts FROM your ward, (5) who got paid from TIFs in your ward. We even provide a nifty graphic map that lays all this out in a super clear manner. No one else can tell you all this!

The TIF Illumination Project Is One Year Old!

We launched the TIF Illumination Project at the Chopin Theater one year ago! What a wild ride it’s been. Here is an account of the work we’ve done. Comments are welcome.

The Perils Of Privatization

Historian and reporter for The Nation Rick Perlstein is doing a series of articles on the perils of privatization. In this 13 minute interview on WBEZ he lays out the reasons to be very skeptical about the sorts of deals Chicago is “forcing down the throats” of the taxpayers. He gives a shout out to the work of Tom Tresser and the CivicLab.

Tom On WVON 12/17/13

I was on WVON’s morning drive-time show with Matt McGill this morning. We discussed NSA spying, Tax Increment Financing, community development and Chicago politics (30 minutes).

Click to listen

UIC School of Social Work Does TIF Forum

TIF Illuminator Tom Tresser joins TIF and urban policy expert Rachel Weber on a panel discussing TIFs at the UIC School of Social Work on November 21. This forum is a project of a class at the Jane Addams School of Social Work. 9am to 11am at 1040 W. Harrison Street, Room 4013.

DePaul Forum On Proposed Stadium Illuminates 2nd Ward

Students as DePaul organized a public forum on the proposed DePaul Stadium and asked for an Illumination of the 17 TIFs inside the 2nd Ward – spotlighting the site and adjacent TIFs. This research is from The TIF Illumination Project. If you want a copy of this presentation please email tom@civiclab.us.

The TIFs of the 2nd Ward from Thomas Tresser

The TIF Illumination Project was a source for this story in today’s Chicago Sun-Times.

Tom Teaches “TIF 101” Workshop @ CivicLab

Tom Tresser has been doing TIF Illumination workshops all over the city. Now you can see what over 1,600 other people have seen – how TIFs work REALLY.

Attend the “TIF 101” workshop at the CivicLab on Tuesday, September 17 at 7pm. 90 minutes. $10. You’ll be Illuminated! Register via EventBrite.

WBEZ Explains The TIF Program

Watch this creative and fast moving seven minute video from WBEZ’s “Curious City” Project. Learn more at the CivicLab’s TIF Illumination Project. Do I look better animated?