2023 City Budget Hearing [Overview] AFTERNOON

If you’re interested in opening statements or the first round of questioning, see my earlier thread here: https://twitter.com/izzystroobandt/status/1578022241601613824?s=46&t=wVVxkEmH5wR4Kr4CMjZhjw

To refresh, answering questions today on the proposed budget for 2023 are:
1) Susie Park, Budget Director - Office of Budget and Management
2) Jennie Huang Bennett, Chief Financial Officer
3) Reshma Soni, City Comptroller - Department of Finance

During the first round, committee members had 10 minutes each to ask questions.

This time they’re limited to five minutes and many have already passed on a second round, so the afternoon portion of the meeting should be a lot quicker than this morning.

We’re back at 1:20pm, folks!

Ald Jason Ervin, Ward 28, up first

Ervin: What is our total debt load?

Huang Bennett: Approx $26b

Ervin: I thought we already appropriated money for Chicago Works?

Huang Bennett: We did, what we’ve done is funded those projects as they spend — we put in place a line of credit that we take out with that permanent financing

Ervin: Shifting gears to risk management — what’re we looking at in workers comp side and overall risk that have accrued cost to the city? How are we learning?

Soni: Mayors office has enterprise risk management group that evaluates across many departments what risk were exposed to, whether it’s IT or public safety

Soni: We work closely with law and police department to identify things that we have in place already that mitigate risk and present that to insurance companies

Soni: From worker’s compensation perspective, were looking at overall ways to mitigate risk on the front end

Soni: We can do work on the back end, but now since environmental health and safety is within the Dept of Finance were able to work with them more routinely as a part of overall reduction of injuries

Ervin: What’re we doing locally within departments to mitigate risk?

Soni: Every department has a safety officer —

Ervin: Well it’s not really a safety specific issue, that’s part of it, but other aspects of liability that we can look at that goes beyond that

Soni: The approach the Mayors office has taken is “top-down” so there’s someone whose responsible with making a plan for how to approach the problem

Moving to non members

Ald Samantha Nugent: What’re we trying to accomplish with the broadband project?

Huang Bennett: It was originally largely for CPS students and were trying to expand it.

Nugent: Please add me to the list of people in support of a “freestanding department of Environment”

“we’ve had catastrophic damage” from the storms and we need federal assistance

Ald Felix Cardona Jr: For affordable housing, it’s $155m, correct?

Park: Coming from the Chicago Recovery Plan, yes

Cardona Jr: What was it last year?

Park: Everything is carrying over

Cardona Jr: Is pilot program for tiny homes coming from that?

Park: Coming from a portion of that funding

Cardona Jr: I used to work in accounting, we were thinking about tiny homes in 2012 and it got shut down, but I think it’s a great investment for affordable housing, but I don’t think $3m is enough — i think you’re going to need to put a little bit more

Cardona Jr; Will there be electrical or plumbing?

Park: My understanding is yes, but Comm Navaro is better versed

Cardona Jr: “I’m so happy you guys are doing that” … could be a great use for the vacant lots

Ald Sophia King: What are you proposing for violence intervention this year?

Park: $16m specifically for violence intervention is in the Chicago Recovery Plan

King: I was referring to kind of, globally… The $16m is coming from the new ARP funds?

Park: Yes

King: Of last years $85m, how much did we spend?

Park: Just on the violence prevention dollars, it looks like we’re carrying over about $80m

King: So we spent $5m?

Park: There was no intention that that $85m would be spent in a year

King: Where and by who?

Park: CDPH and I can provide a breakdown through the chair

King: How much did we spend on the Alternative response program?

Park: The initial pilot for CARE was funded through corporate funds, $2m — they’re moving into an expansion now that will start the CRP money.

King: How much is allocated for 2023?

Park: $16m for the expansion

King: When will that scale up?

Park: Better question for Arwady

Ald Derrick Curtis, 18 ward: Will the micro grants program continue from 2022?

Park: Yes, sorry it’s been bumpy, the full $5m we set aside last year is reappropriated. Not meant to restart the process but give people who applied more time.

Curtis: We’ve been talking about this for years - the larger wards are underserved in comparison to smaller wards because of a larger amount of roads and infrastructure. Who will make the final decision and will there ever be time we get more funding?

Park: That’s a convo we can have, need to find an equitable way.

Dowell: That’s been a topic of discussion for many years, perhaps it’s a time to pull together a work group so we can put it to bed

Ald Walter Burnett Jr: I’m concerned about the TIF surplus

Park: We are taking $98m — one of the largest surpluses we’ve done. We’re using the same methodology as the past and going through to see what isn’t connected to projects.

Ald Maria Hadden: “We need a coordinated response for homelessness,” … “We talked about this two years ago, I’m a bit frustrated at not having a plan”

Hadden: “We should not be dealing with this on a Ward by Ward basis”

Hadden: Why aren’t we declaring this an emergency? Can we look at declaring an emergency around homelessness? Or around needing shelter?

Hadden: “It’s really striking for me to see so little of the funds going to use, to know that a shelter proposal in my ward isn’t going to be open until June” when we could’ve purchased this building in the summer if an emergency had been declared

Hadden: We see lake shore flooding, we see the rain that’s happening …

Hadden: “Another reason we need a Department of the Environment — not just a office to the mayor but a department responsible to us and the entire city — is because it’s not just the immediate material impacts we need to think of”

Hadden: Maybe we should be rethinking using basement floors and garden units — I had a lot of residents who didn’t just lose stuff, they have 6-8 inches of water in their home and they’re no longer going to be able to sell in the future at the same rate as before.

Hadden: Another thing are the heat waves — Department of Buildings is wonderful, helped us very quickly address low hanging fruit — “but we need people devoted to thinking about the future … we’re already behind,”

Ald Anthony Beale, 9th ward: What’s the total one time revenue source?

Huang Bennett: TIF is the only one time revenue source and that’s $98m

King: Why is federal money not one time?

Huang Bennett: You’re right — that would be one time. $152m

Ald Jeanette Taylor, 20: I’m gonna echo about an office of senior services … “It’s hilarious to me that we run the seniors during election time but in between we ain’t too much concerned, so they’re living in buildings that aren’t in the best condition,”

Taylor: “One of the biggest problems I see is we do silo work… The right hand don’t know what the left hand is doing and in between that our constituents are getting left out,”

Taylor: for postage, it went from $46k to $100k — “what are y’all mailing?”

Soni: This is all related to billing — more mailings for Clear Path Relief program and administrative hearings debt relief … a lot of people don’t have access to computers so it’s helpful for them to have a reminder, and for records

Taylor: Reimbursement for travel — where y’all going?

Soni: Driving risk management people around the city, training

Ald Matt Martin, 47th ward: Starting with a list of through the chair questions:
- 311 requests by ward
- 311 ward by ward breakdown of miles of streets, sidewalks, alleys, # of street lights
- comparison of staffing for offices of financial analysis in 10 largest US cities …

Martin: I’d also like to see a projected TIF surplus for 2024, an itemized breakdown of improved revenue projections, enforcement and fund sweeps

Martin: Shifting to the Office of the Environment — “It’s really important to underscore we’re not talking about future planning, we’re talking about present planning.”

Martin: The city has a lot pending right now that are promising, “but we’re not going to do that successfully without a built out department”

Martin: “To essentially rebrand something that already exists and then add one person isn’t really sufficient”

Martin: Can you provide anything in writing stating implicitly or implying what could prompt a ratings downgrade? through the chair

Ald Daniel La Spata, 1st Ward: There are some troubling vacancies here… 500 in Dept Pub Health, 1,669 in police, 340 streets and san, 319 in CDOT

La Spata: How do we determine this?

Park: It’s important to note that those numbers change every day. We have filled close to our total of last year already and the fourth quarter is generally the highest hiring rate

La Spata: Whats happening to the three TIFs due to expire at the end of this year?

Park: All will be extended I believe

La Spata: Council will still have to approve that, right?

Park: We will get back through the chair on that

We’re about to start round two (everything up to now was either people who came late, non members).

Starting with Ald Rodriguez:

Rodriguez: Are we looking to increase premiums for health care insurance?

Soni: We look at overall increases in salaries to make sure things are on par, at this point we’re not looking at any further increases

Rodriguez: re: Infrastructure spending on the SW side — Where can we look for infrastructure support?

Park: We passed through council in 2021 the first of a two year capital program — $1.4m — because we were really behind on deferred maintenance

We’re gonna stand at ease for five minutes for a court reporter break. 🥲

We’re back now — Starting with Ald. Lee

Lee: Agree with Dept of Environment, I wish I had one more full time person to put on senior services. In particular, language accessibility is huge for us — so I really need two.

Lee: We’ve talked before about wage compression and that being an ongoing challenge — Are we going to hear more?

Park: Part of this is the imbalance stems from union staff getting incremental increases as the non union staff was not — there’s work going on right now around that

Lee: How many 311 calls do we get for parking enforcement? I get a lot of calls, obviously I have the White Sox as well — How many calls vs citations issued?

Dowell: Can we get that for all the wards?

Park: Through the chair

Huang Bennett: There is a need for more parking enforcement officials

Ald Moore: Where is the amount budgeted for electronic speed display monitors? and how much?

Park: I believe we’re starting some of that this year and it’s coming from capital funding — will go through the chair

Moore: A couple of police officers in my ward had proposals for the alternate response / CARES program based on how much time they spend in hospitals with people

Park: There is work being done to look at alternate locations to take people that best serve the person they’re transporting — not everyone needs to go to the ER, to your point

Ald Osterman: Can we have an analysis on staffing for community commission on public safety and accountability?

Osterman: If you can make sure that those mountains are moving, because they can’t function if they don’t have the staff

Ald Hairston: For office of public safety — how do you distinguish that from police and CAPS?

Park: They take on administrative functions — hiring, paying bills, procurement — for all safety departments (police, fire, OAMC)

Hairston: How many grant positions do you have?

Hairston: Have they been billed for the positions? Who received the grants? And do you have a way of measuring or tracking

Also requests a heat map of where tickets and parking boots are issued within her ward

Ald Sposato: “Ive always felt, from day one with this job — I don’t know why commissioners are making more money than Alderman..” Now with the last two raises, we’re kinda up there … When commissioners are making $50k more than us.

Sposato said he’s prepared for that quote to be on the front page of Block Club, Sun-Times and the Tribune tomorrow lol

Ald Mitts: Have you looked at any way to help families with water leaks? Like a budget plan

Mitts: How do the various public safety departments intertwine with each other?

Park: Police department would be able to speak more in depth around that

Mitts: You still have folks on the streets that are still selling marijuana — when did they get to be a low priority? Anyone know or is that a question for the police?

Park: Better for police

Ald Villegas: I’d love to see in the next couple of months if we could put out some type of RFI to see what’s out here in the technology sector

Ald Beale: for CTA’s additional $20m — they’ve already increased funding for armed security and canine — why are we doing that?

Park: Thats funding actually coming to us, the old IGA was $10m… That’s money theyre giving to the city for the police department

Ald Sigcho-Lopez: Water and utility debt — I’m concerned, especially for seniors — Is there an idea of the debt? Or utility costs? Is there a program to help most vulnerable people?

Soni: We started the Utility Relief Program two years ago, a pilot program, for people who meet the federal poverty level

Soni: We have 92% of participants who graduated successfully — waived about $6.5m in debt

For utility debt, we had about $300m

Sigcho Lopez: For victims of violent crime, we see issues with residents who are uninsured accessing resources for trauma — what is allocation for mental health?

Park: $89m in chicago recovery plan for mental health assistance

Sigcho Lopez: And for trauma victim support?

Huang Bennett: $10m in ARP for victim support funding

Sigcho-Lopez: Are there any specific funds for permanent housing / shelter? Out of the $200m

Park: Chicago Recovery Plan covers the whole spectrum — so part of it includes shelter and rapid rehousing, and then we do have stabilization housing.

Sigcho-Lopez: What is allocated to support small businesses?

Park: Last year we had $89m specifically for small businesses, anything not spent out will carry over

Ald Hadden: I find that I have to make regular requests for areas that should have regular enforcement — what challenges are we still facing to get back to pre pandemic on this?

Soni: We’re working on hiring, and would want to work with Alders to prioritize enforcement in specific areas

Hadden: I haven’t had patrol officers for two of my major beats since 2019… I can’t explain anymore to residents how were increasing the police budget and they’re not getting the services they asked for.

Ald La Spata: The $15.5m in fund sweeps — can you break that down by fund through the chair

La Spata expresses support for the Department of the Environment — “That can be a Q1 thing that we can work on together”

H o l y C o w — we’re finally done.

The committee recessed at 4:22pm.

Tomorrows schedule is Office of City Clerk, City Treasurer and Dept of Human Resources, starting at 9am.