The Chicago City Council passed a “snap” curfew ordinance on June 18 that allows the superintendent to impose short-notice ...

Together, we challenge power and power answers for the people of Illinois. The Better Government Association is a nonprofit, independent investigative and solutions-focused news organization and ...

Access to government documents is fundamental in our system of open government. You have a right to know what your governments are doing. One way people, groups, corporations or organizations can ...

A BGA Policy comparison of major U.S. cities found Chicago’s Office of Inspector General among the strongest watchdog agencies in the nation — but it lacks independent authority to release its ...

Salaries and bonuses for Chicago police officers represented by the Fraternal Order of Police in 2024 could exceed the budgeted position costs approved by City Council by $76.8 million or more, ...

The BGA is a non-partisan, non-profit news organization and civic advocate working for transparency, efficiency and accountability in government in Chicago and across Illinois.

Understanding the structure of the courts is important because all courts ultimately need to answer to the Supreme Court who has “ [g]eneral administrative and supervisory authority over all courts ”.

With 852 separate districts, Illinois has the third most school districts in the nation, bested only by Texas and California, whose populations are more than double ours.

The BGA’s policy agenda for the City of Chicago pursues structural reforms of the City Council, further empowerment of the Office of Inspector General, and measures to strengthen the city’s ...

For first-time watchers, Chicago’s City Council can seem incomprehensible. Most of the business is done in a routine, rapid-fire succession of votes and gavel raps, punctuated by repetitions of the ...

Chicago taxpayers are on the hook for an average $93.6 million a year for legal judgments and settlements against the city. A Better Government Association policy team analysis found that after years ...

Mayor Brandon Johnson released his proposed 2025 budget for the City of Chicago on Wednesday, Oct. 30. As in previous years, BGA Policy will release a series of department-specific budget snapshots ...