The foundational principle of Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act is that the public is entitled to “full and complete information regarding the affairs of government.” Many stakeholders — ...

Under Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act, there is a presumption that government records are open to the public. Body cam footage is an anomaly. Its availability is dictated by the Law Enforcement ...

The Board of Election Commissioners is established under state elections law and technically is part of the judicial branch, but receives operational funding from the City of Chicago. BoEC oversees ...

As a self-funded department, the Department of Aviation’s budget resources are less dependent on overall city revenues. Appropriations are typically closely tied to revenues from O’Hare and Midway ...

DoB’s total appropriations have risen at an average annual rate of 1.1% from 2011-2025, an inflation-adjusted decline of -1%, compared to a citywide average rate of 8.3% (inflation-adjusted 4.4%).

The Department of Streets and Sanitation budget stayed relatively flat during both of Rahm Emanuel’s terms, following a roughly 270-position staffing reduction in his first budget. Appropriations ...

Mayor Brandon Johnson released his proposed 2026 budget for the City of Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 16. As in previous years, BGA Policy will release a series of department-specific budget snapshots ...

Departmental budgets for three of Chicago’s oversight agencies are not on their own sufficient to meet mandatory minimums described in law, a BGA Policy analysis of annual appropriations and related ...

The Chicago City Council passed a “snap” curfew ordinance on June 18 that allows the superintendent to impose short-notice curfews. Two days later, Mayor Brandon Johnson issued the first veto in 19 ...

A series of new lobbying priorities announced by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson at a press conference last week included tweaks to revenues the city currently receives from the state government, but ...

Photo of the Illinois State Capitol. In 2023, the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services launched a probation and pretrial electronic monitoring program for 70 of Illinois’ 102 counties. It has since ...

Audio and video recordings, and the accessibility tools associated with them, are vital tools for ensuring all people can participate in our democracy. As you both know, the halls of the legislature ...