CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago's Committee on the Budget and Government Operations began hearings this week on Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposed $16.6 billion budget.
The first week of hearings gave the 34 alderpersons who serve on the Budget and Government Operations Committee an opportunity to get a little deeper into Johnson's proposal through discussions with dozens of department and office leaders, as well as Chicago Budget Director Annette Guzman.
Predictably, some of this week's hearings dragged late into the night. For those who didn't have time to follow every little development, here's a rundown featuring highlights from the budget talks that have taken place so far. The list is organized by day and will be updated as more budget hearings take place.
Proposed funding for migrants, asylum seekers raises concern, alders say
The question Guzman heard over and over concerned how the Johnson Administration could budget $150 million to house and care for asylum seekers — when officials have estimated the total cost to be $300 million. She told South Side Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) that more money was expected from state and federal governments. He said 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 said.
Guzman noted that Illinois will begin its budgeting process in early 2024 and said that's when those conversations will take place. Despite her optimism, the question kept coming up.
Arrival date for Chicago police helicopters still up in the air, Guzman says
Southwest Side Ald. Marty Quinn (13th), whose district includes Midway Airport, asked Guzman if Chicago would see any new police helicopters. The answer sounded a lot like what officials have heard for at least one year: There's room in the budget for two police helicopters.
Quinn asked if Guzman knew when the helicopters would come online, but the budget director said she didn't have a specific date. The hope is to have at least one by the end of 2024 — after the Democratic convention.
"That's so important," Quinn said. "Because at the back end of these chases, we'repaying out in the Finance Committee."
New location needed for Chicago's Inspector General headquarters, watchdog tells budget committee
Inspector General Deborah Witzberg said her watchdog agency has outgrown its current headquarters at 740 N. Sedgwick Ave., and they're considering a couple of potential new offices. During her budget hearing, she said the offices should be in a non-City building.
"Separation from other City departments is really important," Witzburg said. "We need physical security in a way that, I think, is different from some of our partner departments. I have real concerns about our being in a City space where, when water pours through the ceiling — and sometimes water pours through the ceiling — we have City employees in our workspace, where we also have confidential investigative material."
Poor data collection at CPD poses a challenge for City's watchdog: 'We cannot improve what we cannot study'
Witzburg told the Budget and Government Operations Committee that when Chicago has to pay out expensive court settlements because of police misconduct, those are City expenses. When systems are upgraded and improvements are made, though, those are investments.
The issue: The inspector general said poor data from the Chicago Police Department "pose tremendous challenges" to her office's efforts to analyze and improve the department.
"There are structural limitations in data analysis in the police department because of the quality of the data that's collected, the completeness of the data that's collected," she said. "We have all kinds of legacy information systems built on top of each other that are poorly integrated … I will say, they pose oversight challenges to us; they post operational challenges to the police department. We cannot improve what we cannot study."
Chicago police union proposal would hinder transparency efforts, says outgoing head of Chicago Police Board
Outgoing Chicago Police Board President Ghian Foreman told the budget committee that rules proposed by the police union — which would allow disciplinary cases to be heard behind closed doors — were misguided.
Foreman said the board rejected the proposal and said the City should do the same.
"We're trying to create this system where the public doesn't see the police as opposition, so from sitting in this neutral position that we have to sit in, that's a contrast, to me, to put it behind closed doors," he said.
Police oversight agency reports progress in reducing backlog of cases
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) — and its predecessor agencies — were often criticized for taking too long to investigate and evaluate actions of police officers.
COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten, though, vowed to do better and work smarter last year. During a budget hearing on Tuesday, she said COPA now has 40% fewer open cases than it did at this point of 2022.
Lack of communication between special event, festival organizers and City Council must be fixed: Alders
Erin Hartke, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, told the Council Budget and Government Operations Committee her agency has had a successful festival season in 2023. Several members of the committee, though, complained over a lack of communication regarding when events will be taking place — and where.
Northwest Side Ald. Felix Cardona (31st) said the lack of communication can make alderpersons look "incompetent" when residents come to them with questions about an event that even the alderperson was unaware of.
Others brought up concerns about police staffing, given that some neighborhoods lose officers when festivals take place in the neighborhood. Some events, it's worth noting, do provide their own security.
Downtown alders criticize plan to use TIF funds to help balance $16.6B budget
Under Lori Lighfoot, Chicago made plans to revitalize the pandemic-damaged LaSalle Street business corridor with new merchants and more housing, including many affordable units. Mayor Brandon Johnson hasn't said he'll follow that plan, and his budget proposal calls for using surplus funds from the LaSalle Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District to benefit other areas.
Ald. Bill Conway (34th) and Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), who both represent downtown, urged the City to rethink its plans and warned that the decision to reallocate funding could damage the corridor's future prospects.
"It can be argued that this will back up projects until 2025, potentially, will delay over 1,000 units from coming online — including hundreds of affordable housing units," Conway said. "A potentially important housing project may have been denied because there was no capacity in the TIF, despite the fact that we're taking almost $100 million out of it."
An overview of Mayor Brandon Johnson's budget proposal can be found here, and a schedule of upcoming budget meetings can be found here.
This story will be updated as more budget hearings take place.
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