Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) released the following statement in support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Reform Task Force's recommendations.
"I applaud Mayor Emanuel for aggressively taking on what has been a black hole of city finances for too many years. Shining a light on how we spend TIF money and requiring transparency and accountability is a tremendous leap forward for taxpayers."
During his ten years as a Cook County Commissioner, Rep. Quigley wrote a series of groundbreaking reports, which made similar recommendations for transparency and accountability. His 2007 report -- A Tale of Two Cities: Reinventing Tax Increment Financing -- can be found online along with additional reports on how to streamline local government.
Quigley has continued his reform mission in Washington. He recently published a two-part report called Reinventing Government: The Federal Budget, which outlines steps to improve budgeting and long-term sustainability. Earlier this month, he submitted part two of this deficit reduction plan to the Super Committee, offering 60 proposals to save $2 trillion over the next ten years.
The TIF Reform Task Force's report includes substantive reforms to increase transparency, establish accountability, and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and strategically.