Proponents call Tax Increment Financing, or TIFs, a brilliant way to generate growth and pay for special projects. Critics call TIFs a secret mayoral slush fund that diverts money away from schools and other important needs. The system can be so complex that even some aldermen may not quite understand how it works or the ramifications. We unpack some of the latest ideas from the mayor’s office, and the latest reporting on where-and to whom- our TIF’ed money is going. (Photo: Flickr/Viewminder)