Here are the 7 highest-paid employees of Chemung Township, according to 2015 Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) records:

Community Unit School District 300 has $334,201,064 in debt, according to Illinois State Board of Education 2016 financial reports obtained by the McHenry Times.

One campaign committee in McHenry has overdue fines amounting to a total of $225, records obtained by the McHenry Times show.

The Village of Lakewood budget was $6.70 million for its 2015 fiscal year, or $4,828.88 per household.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has placed Crystal Lake Community High School District 155 on its financial "Recognition" list.

Algonquin Road Elementary School's 2016 standardized test scores increased compared to scores from 2015, according to a report recently released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Briargate Elementary School's 2016 standardized test scores increased compared to scores from 2015, according to a report recently released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Here are the 50 former employees of the City of Crystal Lake receiving the highest annual pension payouts, according to 2015 Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) records:

Harvard Community Unit School District 50 has $22,537,429 in debt, according to Illinois State Board of Education 2016 financial reports obtained by the McHenry Times.

Cary Junior High School's 2016 standardized test scores decreased compared to scores from 2015, according to a report recently released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

The City of Marengo budget was $25.44 million for its 2015 fiscal year, or $11,156.18 per household.

Here are the 50 highest-paid employees of the City of Crystal Lake, according to 2015 Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) records:

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has placed Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47 on its financial "Recognition" list.

Canterbury Elementary School's 2016 standardized test scores increased compared to scores from 2015, according to a report recently released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Here are the 36 former employees of the City of Harvard receiving the highest annual pension payouts, according to 2015 Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) records:

One campaign committee in Prairie Grove has overdue fines amounting to a total of $5,675, records obtained by the McHenry Times show.

The budget battle in the Illinois Statehouse has allowed workers' compensation fraud to continue largely unchecked, the law firm Keefe, Campbell, Biery & Associates (KCBA) contends.

Public sector employees and retirees could accept less than their constitutionally protected pensions if they understand it's them or public education, an economist said during an appearance on a recent Chicago-based radio show.

While every state around it continues to grow in population and prosperity, Illinois keeps shrinking under the strain of higher taxes and more regulations, Michael Lucci, vice president of policy for the Illinois Policy Institute, said in an article on the institute's website.

Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) has confidence in the numbers, which tell him Illinois doesn't have to raise taxes to balance its budget.