CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The City Council’s hearings on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed Budget began with questions about how much money the City is spending on the migrants who continue to be sent to Chicago from Texas and elsewhere.
Several alderpersons are uncomfortable with the answers.
The question City Budget Director Annette Guzman heard over and over was how the Administration could budget $150 million for housing and caring for asylum seekers when officials estimate the total cost to be $300 million.
She told South Side Alderman Anthony Beale more money is expected from the State and Federal governments. He noted nothing is promised.
“Do you think it is fiscally responsible to vote on $150 million, knowing that we may not get anything from the State or the Feds, but we’re only going to budget for $150 million?” Beale asked.
Guzman sounded hopeful.
“I know the State begins their budgeting process in the beginning of the year, and that’s where those conversations with them about how much they will be supporting this mission will go,” Guzman said.
Despite that answer, the question kept coming up.
While many of the questions the Mayor’s budget team faced on the first day of Council hearings were about the Migrant crisis, there were several other issues raised.
Alderpeople wanted to know about police vacancies and plans to have civilian employees fill administrative jobs now done by sworn officers. That will free those cops to fight crime.
13th Ward Alderman Marty Quinn asked budget Director Annette Guzman if we’re going to see any new Police helicopters, and the answer sounded a lot like what they’ve heard for at least a year now.
“I believe that there are two helicopters that are budgeted within the budget…I believe that they’re working through the contracting for that,” Guzman said.
They hope to have at least one by the end of next year, after the Democratic convention.
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