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?
WBEZ Explains The TIF Program
Category Archives: In The News
CivicLab Chicago Innovation Award Nominee
The CivicLab is one of this year’s nominees for a Chicago Innovation Award! Celebrate with us at The Park West on September 9.
Mr. Mayor, Empty The TIFs!
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 Supports CivicLab Online TIF Petition!
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!
Tom “Live From The Heartland Cafe”
Watch this 26 minute interview with CivicLab co-founder Tom Tresser, from the July 13 edition of “Live From The Heartland Cafe.” He breaks down TIFs and The TIF Illumination Project.
Chicago IS Rising!
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.
11th Ward TIF Illumination Preview
Check out this ten minute interview from Outside The Loop radio to get an overview of TIFs and a sneak preview of the 11th Ward TIF Illumination coming up on June 5.
Coverage Of 4th Ward Illumination
Despite a Bull’s playoff game 50 people came Room 43 on Monday, May 13 for the 4th Ward Illumination. Read the coverage at Progress Illinois. See the presentation and listen to the audio at SlideShare.
And It Stinks
Check out this comprehensive article on the Chicago Infrastructure Trust from Next City. I’m the voice of dissent in the piece. But the presence of the ad by Mayer Brown under the picture of the Mayer says it all.
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.”