State lawmakers and Governor Bruce Rauner get their act together to pass a budget... even if it’s only a stopgap to get through the rest of 2016. And for the first time in a while, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools’ CEO Forrest Claypool sound fairly upbeat, as they received pension relief and the okay to increase property taxes for CPS. Plus: a new transit TIF has some state legislators up in arms, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle releases a budget forecast, and the issue of race takes center stage as commissioners decide on a ballot referendum to combine the Offices of County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds.