Better Government Association

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING

Thank you for visiting the Better Government Association's ("BGA") website and searchable database of selected public payrolls. This online tool is designed for members of the public to easily access information relating to the spending of state and local units of government.

Since launching this tool in October 2007, the BGA is excited to have recorded more than 1.1 million page views, with traffic averaging approximately 7,500 page views per day. The popularity presents both a wonderful indicator of the public's interest in the affairs of its government, as well as a challenge to maintain the technical resources capable of handling this volume of traffic. The BGA's website is now hosted on a dedicated web server.

This database is free for anyone to use, and we hope you will consider supporting the BGA in the costly effort to provide this valuable resource.

By using this public database, you indicate that you understand and agree to the following disclaimers, terms, and conditions:

Note to members of the news media: As this database is costly in both time and resources, the BGA requests that every reasonable effort be made to provide attribution when data from this server is used for researching, writing, or verifying information in the course of news gathering.
All records contained in the database are public and were obtained under the provisions of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act - 5 ILCS 140/2(c)viii.
This database is provided as a public service and is intended to serve as an informational tool only. The BGA does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or validity of this information and disclaims any responsibility for any errors or omissions on this website.
Salaries listed do not include any additional compensation an employee may receive, including overtime, holiday, or any other pay not included in the base salary or hourly pay rate.
No modifications have been made to the data, other than those considered necessary to present the information uniformly and with clarity to those using or searching the database ("Users").
The BGA will not modify, remove, or add any individual records, unless the records are not consistent with those provided by the pertinent public body at the time of the FOIA request.
The use of the database for commercial purposes or for gathering data in furtherance of any type of marketing is prohibited.
The use of this website or database to copy or download bulk searches or information is prohibited.

All payroll data was obtained via the Illinois Freedom of Information Act
Payrolls provided are effective as of the following dates: Cook County - July 2007; Cook County Forest Preserve District - March 10, 2008; City Colleges of Chicago - March 6, 2008; City of Chicago - April 10, 2008; Chicago Park District - October 1, 2007; Chicago Public Schools October 1, 2007; Chicago Transit Authority - November 12, 2007; Chicago Housing Authority - December 12, 2007; Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority - February 20, 2008; State of Illinois - December 31, 2006

Annual salaries for City of Chicago employees calculated using their provided monthly pay, assuming 12-months of continuous employment

NOTE ABOUT CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAGO (CCC): Approximately 1,450 staff members employees, listed as making $0.00, are compensated "based on the number of credit hours that they teach as well as their level of education and experience. They do not have a comp rate listed because it would ultimately result in an overpayment for these particular employees because of how the system works and because of how they are paid." (as stated by CCC Human Resources).

Please report any errors to webmaster@bettergov.org