Mayor Rahm Emanuel directly introduced to Council the official levy and revenue ordinances detailing how he plans to pay for his proposed $7.8 billion dollar budget at yesterday’s abbreviated City Council meeting (we provide a breakdown of those plans below). The public hearing that followed was much lengthier, approximately 40 people signed up to testify, but for most of the hearing, less than 10 aldermen were present. The Mayor left immediately after his press conference.  

With budget hearings taking up the bulk of the Council’s time over the past two weeks, and more closed door meetings to come before the City Council officially votes on the Mayor’s spending plan on October 28, there was only a handful of old business items to be approved, and most of it was routine.

The Council approved dozens of appointments to and budget requests from various Special Service Areas, ordinances transferring TIF funds for capital improvement projects at CPS schools, and Ald. Will Burns’ (4) resolution supporting the rights of adjunct faculty to unionize.

New Business

Save for the Mayor’s budget ordinances, there wasn’t much new business. Chairman Ed Burke (14), introduced an ordinance regulating so-called “party buses” in the City after a recent shooting in the University Village neighborhood that left three people injured. According Ald. Burke’s press release, “the driver did not keep a passenger roster or make sure passengers on the bus were legally old enough to drink alcohol.” The ordinance would require party bus operators make sure entities chartering the bus are licensed to sell alcohol, and there is a designated person to check IDs of all passengers on the bus. Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41), Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29), Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30), and Ald. Willie Cochran (20) are co-sponsors.

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) introduced a resolution calling for a voluntary $1 service charge on the “nearly 100 million passengers flying into or out of Chicago.” Money from that service charge would go toward increasing police presence at and around the airports. Citing the City’s “unprecedented gang and gun violence crisis” and the “alarming rate of illegal guns on the street” in the preamble to the ordinance, Ald. O’Shea suggested the City tap into the $1.8 billion in revenue O’Hare and Midway airports generate.

And the Chicago Public Health Department, in conjunction with Ald. Burke, introduced a resolution calling on the Food and Drug Administration to reverse its decision to allow the use of opioid prescription drugs for pediatric patients. The ordinance cites a recent surge of prescription drug abuse in Chicago; between 2009 and 2011, Chicago saw an 11% increase in the number of opioid-related emergency room visits.  

Mayor’s Press Q&A

At his usual post-Council meeting press conference, Mayor Rahm Emanuel defended his unpopular revenue plans, a historic property tax increase and a new monthly garbage fee, in addition to fielding questions about the recent federal indictment of former Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett.

“I’m proud we are submitting this [budget] today,” Mayor Emanuel told the room before taking questions. Asked if he made any changes to his budget as a result of aldermanic objections, Emanuel responded, “The short answer...no.”

He said the budget is based on conversations already had with the unions, the Civic Federation, and aldermen. Those meetings go back “months,” the Mayor said, “and we included items discussed in those meetings.”

And even though he wasn’t asked about his plan to privatize the city’s 311 call system, a plan that garnered a significant amount of criticism from aldermen, Emanuel made a point to defend it, “I stand by what we’re proposing as it relates to 311 reforms, mainly because for the first time ever we have a lot of effectiveness in our neighborhood services.”

It would cost the city $40 million dollars to upgrade the system, the Mayor added. “We don’t have that.”  

As for the Byrd-Bennett indictment, Emanuel denied any connection with Gary Solomon, co-owner of SUPES Academy, who was at that moment entering a not guilty plea in federal court for his alleged involvement in the $23 million dollar kickback scheme with the no-bid contract CPS awarded his firm.

When asked to detail how he knew Solomon, where they met, if he knew Byrd-Bennett worked for his company, and why he wasn’t more involved in the contract selection process, Emanuel responded “there is no relationship between me and Solomon. Ever.”

“There is a long history of mayors getting involved in contracts,” Emanuel added. “I don’t get involved in contracts.”

Public Hearings

Approximately 40 witnesses submitted pink slips to testify on the Mayor’s budget. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall kicked off the public portion of the meeting by voicing his support for and urging the Council to approve the Mayor’s spending plan.

“We applaud the Mayor and his administration for the long overdue plan to address the city’s grossly underfunded public pension system,” Msall said in a short speech highlighting the findings of his lengthy 111 page budget analysis. He spent nearly two hours fielding questions from aldermen.

Calling the Mayor’s $1.2 billion dollar FY2016 property tax levy “painful but very necessary”, Msall advised the Council to support the mayor’s spending plan and “stabilize the city’s two worst funded pension plans.”

But he also warned that the Mayor’s budget relies on a lot of variables that could lead to bigger cuts in the future, “We are concerned that even with this extraordinary property tax increase, the city has some expenses that may not be covered.”

If Chicago Public Schools’ liquidity crisis and the city’s ongoing structural deficit aren’t addressed, additional tax increases and service cuts will be needed, Msall said. If Springfield rejects Mayor Emanuel’s plan to extend the city’s pension payments, the city will have to pay an additional $220 million towards the Police and Fire pensions, Msall added. The courts also have yet to rule on the legality of the city’s decision to phase out its subsidy of retiree healthcare costs for its non-public safety unions. “If that should be struck down, the city faces additional hundreds of millions of costs for its health care retirement system,” Msall warned.

Aldermen used the time with Msall to ask for alternative proposals to the property tax hike. When Ald. Joe Moore (49) asked Msall to highlight potential cost savings and quick fixes for this year’s budget, Msall said the Council needs to take a hard look at the budget and find the “optimal number” and cost of city services.

“Those obviously are good recommendations, and they will take some time to fully implement, but is there anything you can identify that we can implement in the next two weeks?” Ald. Moore followed up.

Msall said cutting borrowing would be a good start, as the city’s outstanding debt is the biggest cost after its unfunded pension liability.  Msall also defended Mayor Emanuel’s plan to privatize 311, echoing the mayor’s argument that the cost of the updating the system would be a bigger burden than privatization.

Samples From Public Testimony

On the proposed privatization of the city’s two HIV clinics:

“The city’s HIV clinics are not sustainable in the post-Affordable Care Act landscape, and the transition of these clinics is the best long-term plan for HIV patients in Chicago. These funds will be used more effectively and efficiently by community based clinics… That support, however, is not without concerns. Our greatest concern is that if the city decides to transition medical services to other organizations, people with HIV could drop out of care… The service transition plan should include steps that ensure all current patients are successfully linked to a primary care medical home.” – Maximillian Boykin, AIDS Foundation of Chicago

On the proposed tax on e-cigarettes:

“The mayor’s plan to use $500,000 per year in e-cigarette tax revenue to open five new [school based] health centers is a smart investment in our city’s young people. We estimate that this plan will ensure over 3,000 more Chicago people have access to support they need to be healthy, safe, and ready to learn… Because the tax is intended to serve as a capital investment, we wouldn’t be concerned about the long-term viability [of revenue from the e-cigarette tax].” - Heidi Ortolaza-Alvear, EverThrive Illinois

On the proposed property tax hike and homeowners exemption:

“We don't even know yet the full impact of the tax increase, because all of the properties in the city have yet to be assessed. What we know so far is that assessments in southern Cook County have increased at an average rate of 30%... This policy is flawed and short-sighted. It's disingenuous to shine a light on what more the central business district can do without recognizing that same light illuminates the neighborhood businesses that will also be picking up the tab.”  – Tanya Triche, Illinois Retail Merchants Association  

“Estimates indicate that rents will increase more than $380 annually, or $32 a month over the next four years, because renters pay property taxes too. As you search for ways to alleviate the burden of property taxes on homeowners, we strongly urge you not to do so at the expense of Chicago’s renters… Instead, a rebate program targeting only the most severely impacted taxpayers would alleviate the harmful effects of a property tax shift. We support that kind of program.” – Michael J. Mini, Chicagoland Apartment Association

“Real estate property taxes in Chicago account for nearly 76% of large office buildings’ total operating expense… We’ve been told that if distributed evenly, there would be about a 12% increase in tax bills... The increase grows to nearly 17% and other non-partisan estimates are even higher: as much as 22%... For the tenant of a modest 20,000 square foot space in an average building, that’s an increase of over $25,000. It brings that tenant’s property tax bill to more than $177,000.” – Ron Tabaczynski, Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago

“In addition to the large property tax in the 2016 budget, the hotel industry continues to be hurt badly by the lack of enforcement of the city’s vacation rental ordinance… The license fee in Chicago is $500. It’s good for two years. New York City’s license is $5,000... If you take all the units [Airbnb and other vacation rental companies] rent, $500 times 5,000 [units], that’s $2.5 million. Right off the bat.” – Marc Gordon, Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association

On the proposed privatization exploration of 311:

“It makes no sense to privatize what connects their residents to their government. It makes no sense to privatize 311 and put the nerve center of the city in the hands of a corporation whose number one goal and/or priority is to make a profit. It makes no sense to privatize and get rid of 311’s biggest asset, which would be experienced, knowledgeable workers who are committed to the City of Chicago.” – Louis Shuttlesworth, 311 operator

On Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy:

“I support and thank especially Alderman [Raymond] Lopez and the other City Council members who have called for the firing of Garry McCarthy… His military policing and racial profiling in some parts of the city is a threat to all parts of the city. This superintendent is part of the problem instead of the solution and it’s time for him to go.” – Evangel Yhwhnewbn, Chicago resident, 15th Ward

On proposed changes to rideshare pickup rules:

“I want to first of all, thank Mayor Emanuel for supporting the rideshare agenda… I’ve been driving for over two years. I’m 74 years old so I guess I’m a senior, and it’s a great job for seniors... I drive to the airport but it’s unfair to me that I have to come back without a ride… When you drive in from the airport, you see the big sign, ‘Welcome to Chicago.’ When a tourist arrives in Chicago, the first person he gets an opportunity to talk to is his transportation driver... I want to be the Wal-Mart greeter for Chicago.” – Jim Evans, UberX driver, 45th Ward

The full City Council meets today and Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to introduce the official revenue and levy ordinances for the FY 2016 budget. The ordinances will have specific language on the controversial cloud tax, the Mayor’s proposed monthly garbage fee and the phased-in property tax increase. There is also a public hearing scheduled for the end of tomorrow’s Council meeting. In years past, the hearing kicked off with testimony from Laurence Msall, of The Civic Federation, followed by public testimony from a few dozen public speakers.

The Finance Committee pushed through a nine page agenda in a little over an hour, with few questions or testimony (save for George Blakemore), approving all of the TIF amendments, Special Service Area (SSA) appointments, and 2016 tax levy and budget requests for all but one of the SSAs listed on the agenda.

Members Present: Chairman Ed Burke (14), Joe Moreno (1), Will Burns (4), Gregory Mitchell (7), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Toni Foulkes (16), Matt O’Shea (19), Willie Cochran (20), Howard Brookins, Jr. (21), Rick Munoz (22), Roberto Maldonado (26), Walter Burnett, Jr. (27), Jason Ervin (28), Ariel Reboyras (30), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Marge Laurino (38), Tom Tunney (44).
Non-members: Susan Sadlowski Garza (10)

Pension Fund Property Tax Levy Requests

Finance Chairman Ed Burke (14) however held up the 2016 property tax levy requests filed by four of the City’s pension funds, because Chief Financial Officer Carole Brown wasn’t on hand to speak on behalf of the ordinances. His staff assistant told Alderack Burke will directly introduce the property tax levy requests at today’s full City Council meeting.

Every year, as required by state law, the retirement boards for the City’s Police, Fire, Municipal, and Laborers’ pension funds submit a levy request to the City Council estimating the city’s share to the pension funds.

The retirement board for the Policemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund (PABF) is requesting a $675.8 million payment to the fund, approximately $211.8 million more than Mayor Emanuel budgeted for the Police pension fund payment in his 2016 budget proposal.

The retirement board for the Firemen’s Annuity and Pension Fund is requesting a $284 million payment from the city, or $76 million more than the Mayor budgeted for next year.

When Mayor Emanuel unveiled his budget proposal last month, he based the city’s share on an amended funding timeline that has yet to be approved by Springfield, SB777. Under current state law (Public Act 96-1495) the City’s Police and Fire pension plans must achieve a 90% funded ratio by the end of 2040. The Police Fund is only 26% funded with a $11.73 billion unfunded pension liability, and the Firemen’s Fund is only 23% funded with a $4.513 billion unfunded liability.

The Mayor’s proposed legislation in Springfield, SB777, would stretch pension payments through 2020, in addition to pushing the 90% funding requirement to 2055.

The Laborers’ and Municipal Employees’ contribution requests are closer in line with the Mayor’s budget request at $28.5 million and $277 million respectively, according to the Finance Committee agenda. Those levy requests aren’t available online yet, although they were supposed to be directly introduced at yesterday’s committee meeting.

Special Service Area Budgets  

The Committee approved, without discussion or public comment, all but one of the property tax levy and budget proposals for various Special Service Areas (SSAs) across the city. SSAs, also known as Business Improvement Districts, take a portion of the local property tax levy and use the funds to maintain and beautify streets, attract business, and provide security, among other things.

Chairman Burke said he would hold the tax levy and budget plan for Belmont/Central (SSA #2), but would allow discussion on the other SSA plans.

“Now just like the wedding ceremony when the preacher says speak now or forever hold your peace, if any of you have any objections to what’s going on at any of these Special Service Areas, now is your chance to express your opposition,” Burke said before going down the list for all the SSAs, with a total property tax levy request of $8.53 million. The Committee approved plans in the omnibus without any objections.

Invoking Rule 14, Chairman Burke abstained from voting on the budget requests for 63rd St. (SSA #3), Back of the Yards (SSA #10), Stockyards (SSA #13), and 59th Street (SSA#59). The service provider for 63rd St. and 59th Street, the Greater Southwest Development Corporation, is a client of Burke’s law firm, Klafter & Burke. The Back of The Yards Neighborhood Council oversees the other two SSAs, but their connection with Burke is unclear.

Chairman Burke also abstained from voting on a property tax incentive and a loan agreement to help fund an affordable housing project in the Washington Park community.

The property tax break was a Class L real estate tax incentive for Maromon Car Company’s showroom in the landmark Motor Row district. The tax break, which passed in committee by voice vote, would support the renovation of the iconic building on 2230 S. Michigan Ave. by saving the company $4.4 million in taxes over 12 years.

In addition, Chairman Burke abstained from voting on a loan agreement with PNC Bank for the St. Edmund's Meadows affordable housing development project in the Washington Park community (20th Ward).  

TIF Amendments

Department of Planning and Development Commissioners Lawrence Grisham and Mary Bonome took turns testifying on the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) amendments, all of which passed. This includes ordinances providing TIF assistance to pay for capital improvement projects at four Chicago Public Schools, and ordinances the Department of Planning and Development introduced to change the future land use maps for the Woodlawn and Cicero/Archer TIFs, expand the boundaries of the Belmont/Central and 119th/1-57 TIFs, and extend the life of the Sanitary Drainage and Ship Canal TIF. (Details provided in Tuesday’s newsletter).

Neither DPD Commissioner provided testimony on the Woodlawn TIF amendment. Similar to a zoning change amendment, the ordinance the Committee approved would change the land use plan for the TIF district, making it possible for the University of Chicago to build a new campus for their existing Woodlawn Charter School. The proposal consists of a three-story school building serving 6th through 12th graders and adjacent outdoor athletic field.

U of C is in the midst of purchasing 19 parcels of City owned land within the TIF district to build the school. A negotiated sale for that land was taken up later in the afternoon by the Community Development Commission. According to the DPD staff report provided at the CDC meeting, the City plans to sell the land appraised at $755,000 (approximately $4.93 per square foot) to the University for $1. Michelle Nolan, the author of the DPD report, described the sale as a “public-private partnership”.

Two appointments for the Community Development Commission (CDC) and several tax breaks for businesses moved quickly through the Committee on Economic, Capital, and Technology development Tuesday.

Attendance: Chair Howard Brookins, Jr. (22) Joe Moreno (1), Leslie Hairston (5), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Toni Foulkes (16), Gregory Mitchell (17), Willie Cochran (20), Jason Ervin (28), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Michele Smith (43), John Arena (45), Ameya Pawar (47)

Acting Department of Planning and Development Commissioner David Reifman and affordable housing developer Eileen Rhodes’ appointments to the CDC were approved by the committee in less than 10 minutes. Reifman has been working for DPD for a little over a month, and Rhodes has been working on affordable housing in the city’s South and West Sides as CEO of East Lake Management for more than 15 years. The Community Development Commission is a 15 member panel that issues recommendations on TIFs, redevelopment areas, and membership to Community Conservation Councils.

“I’ve worked in many communities on consensus building and working with different interests, stakeholders, and I think that skill set will serve me extremely well,” Reifman told the committee of his time in the private sector at the land use law firm DLA Piper, “I think it’s really the adaptability of that skill set and the experience with those issues that will give me the benefits of representing the City.”

Reifman’s appointment as DPD Commissioner is still awaiting approval in the Zoning Committee.

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5) praised Rhodes, whose company operates in Hairston’s South Side ward. “She has a good understanding of what it takes to develop in underserved communities and I think it’s a great addition to the CDC.”

“Thank you, Alderman. Go Cubs,” Rhodes said to Hairston, a Sox fan who wore an Arrieta jersey to meetings yesterday.

Ald. Emma Mitts (37) told Rhodes she hoped she could help cut through red tape to help underserved communities who haven’t yet bounced back from the recession. Rhodes agreed, saying she hoped to put TIFs to good use, “[At Eastlake,] we do as much as we can to help the fabric of the community instead of just building a house and leaving it because we understand that it’s not enough.”  

The committee also quickly approved a class 7(c) tax break for construction of a new Toyota/Scion dealership in the 40th Ward. A 7(c) tax break reduces the property tax assessment level to 10% for the first three years, 15% in the fourth year and 20% in the fifth year. The dealership is moving from its Edgewater location to expand in West Ridge–it would retain 120 jobs and add 25 new full time jobs.

The committee also approved the renewal of a 6(b) break for a commercial building that houses Comcast and the Illinois Department of Human Resources employees on the far South Side. The Class 6(b) tax classification lowers the Cook County tax rate for eligible projects over a 12-year period. The property owner, Rich Raffin, used the original tax break to expand its existing parking lot to accommodate a request from Comcast, who threatened to move operations to the south suburbs, according to Marilyn Engwall of the Department of Planning and Development. The extension of the break will save Raffin $279,000 and offset the costs of the $789,000 parking lot.

Committee members slowly trickled out of the meeting, until just six were left by the end. Those remaining voted in favor of a series of 6(b) tax breaks for construction of a $40 million package sorting and distribution facility for FedEx Ground operations on the Lower West Side and to support the shipping company’s recently built $10.8 million 55,000-square-foot warehouse in the Pilsen Industrial Corridor.

The Committee held one 6(b) tax incentive for Eli's Cheesecake Company at the request of the local alderman, Nick Sposato (38). Eli’s applied for a tax break for the proposed construction of a roughly 38,000 square foot manufacturing industrial facility at 4350 N. Normandy Ave and 6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr., the site of the existing Eli’s Cheesecake World.

Finance Committee’s nine page agenda has a significant number of Tax Increment Financing district-related ordinances, various appointments and reappointments to Special Service Areas (SSAs), and tax levy and budget requests for 21 SSAs.

The retirement boards of four of the City’s pension funds filed property tax levy requests for the 2016 levy that are significantly higher than the payment Mayor Emanuel proposed in his 2016 Budget.  

Pursuant to state law, the retirement boards are required to send yearly estimates of the City’s portion to the fund. But unlike the mayor’s proposed pension payment plan outlined in his budget request, which is based on an extended pension payment timeline outlined in Senate Bill 777, the estimates provided by the Police and Fire boards are based on the current funding ratio, which requires these pension funds receive a 90% funding ratio by 2040.

With a roughly $8 billion unfunded liability, the Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund is requesting $675.8 million from the 2016 property tax levy. Mayor Emanuel proposed a $464 million payment for 2016. The Firemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund is requesting $284 million, a slight increase from the Mayor’s proposed $208 million payment for 2016.

The Laborers’ and Retirement Retirement Board Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund is requesting $28.5 million, while the Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund is requesting $277.7 million. Both of those funds are about the same Mayor budgeted for 2016 due to a new plan for those funds enacted by the state legislature in 2014. The levy requests for the Police and Fire pension funds are listed on Legistar, while the other two will be directly introduced at today’s meeting.

SSA Related Ordinances

Every year, SSAs must provide the City Council with an outline of proposed expenditures for the next fiscal year, in addition to requesting a percentage of the annual property tax levy to pay for improvements. Three of those SSAs are requesting a levy of over a million dollars.

Stockyards (SSA #13), is proposing a $1.3 million dollar budget, $1.18 million of which will come from local property taxes. Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council Executive Director Craig Chico filed the levy request. Chico is the brother of former mayoral candidate Gery Chico. The SSA’s biggest expenditure for 2016, roughly $500,000, will go towards public safety. Chico lists Securitas Security Services, USA as the independent security contractor.

The second largest SSA budget request, $1.2 million, was filed by Ghian Foreman, Executive Director of the Greater Southwest Development Corporation, for the 63rd Street SSA (#3). Foreman seeks a $1.1 million dollar property tax levy to fund next year’s budget, which allocates a significant amount of the 2016 budget for public safety ($305,900) and attraction ($300,950).

As for the 10 SSA appointments listed on the agenda, five are new appointments. This includes the appointment of Claretian Associates Executive Director Angela C. Hurlock to the Commercial Avenue Commission (SSA #5), Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center Principal Margie D. Smagacz to the Old Town Commission (SSA #48), and Dever Elementary School Principal Rita O. Ortiz to the 59th Street Commission (SSA #59).
 

Proposed Amendments to 5 TIFs

Mayor Emanuel introduced five ordinances at the September City Council meeting to amend five TIF districts.

Woodlawn TIF - This ordinance amends the land use plan to allow for the planned development of the University of Chicago’s Woodlawn Charter School.

Cicero/Archer TIF - An amendment to reflect new residential and commercial development plans on seven parcels of land in Garfield Park.

The Belmont/Central and 119th/1-57 TIFs would be expanded under two ordinances the Mayor introduced. The former TIF will expand its borders to include an additional 136 acres of commercial properties and parks in the Belmont/Cragin and Portage Park neighborhoods. The latter TIF district will expand to include an additional 888 acres of commercial and residential properties located in the Morgan Park and Pullman Communities.

Sanitary Drainage and Ship Canal TIF - This South Lawndale TIF district will get extended for an additional 12 years under the ordinance introduced by the Mayor. Originally designated as a TIF in 1991 to support the redevelopment of the industrial corridor, it was scheduled to expire this year, but the new expiration date will be December 31, 2027.
 

Ordinances Authorizing TIF Funds for Capital Projects at Four CPS Schools

Approximately $4.4 million dollars from the Ewing Avenue Redevelopment TIF will fund capital improvement projects at Jane Addams Elementary School and Matthew Gallistel Elementary Language Academy.

Jane Addams Elementary, a neighborhood elementary school serving grades K-8, would receive $1.7 million dollars from the TIF to pay for the installation of new energy efficiency windows, masonry and structural upgrades. The school is located at 10810 S. Avenue H in the East Side neighborhood and has an enrollment of 822 students, 97% of which are Hispanic, and 86% of which are low income. While a majority of the funds will come from the Ewing Avenue Redevelopment TIF, the Ordinance also authorized the transfer of $600,000 in TIF funds from the neighboring TIF, the Lake Calumet Avenue Redevelopment Project.

Also located in the East Side neighborhood, Matthew Gallistel Elementary Language Academy, a K-8 school with 1,164 students, would get $2.7 million in TIF money for installation of a new roof, tuck pointing, air conditioning units and various floor, wall, ceiling and door repairs at the 100-year-old school building.  

$500,000 from the Woodlawn TIF will pay for recreational improvements at James Wadsworth Elementary, including new playgrounds, artificial turf, outdoor classrooms, walkways and plants. $27,000 from the 63rd/Ashland TIF will pay for a new playlot at the Charles W. Earle STEM Elementary School.

After meeting for more than two hours, the "District Committee" tasked with appointing a replacement for the late Rep. Esther Golar held no vote and decided to reconvene at a later date. The Committee, chaired by 15th Ward Ald. and Democratic Committeeman Raymond Lopez, will recess to accommodate the vacancy of 16th Ward Committeeman, the late JoAnn Thompson. 

According to Lopez's Facebook page, Genita Robinson, Dedrick Rent, Eric White, Eddie Daniels, Kenyatta "Nicole" Vaughn, Eddie Johnson, Keith Kysel, Sonya Harper, Michael Finney, and Glen Fulton are all candidates for consideration, though Fulton wasn't present last night. Lopez told Aldertrack the group, including Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6), and Cook County Comm. John Daley (who is also the 11th Ward Dem. Committeeman), spent the meeting talking to potential appointees. 

"I want to give the Democrats of the 16th Ward the opportunity to choose a committeeman in order to participate," Lopez wrote, "We have until October 21 to name a representative and will move the process accordingly."

Two names familiar to real estate development in Chicago–David Reifman and Eileen Rhodes–are getting appointments to the Community Development Commission, the 15 member panel that issues recommendations on TIFs, redevelopment areas, and membership to Community Conservation Councils.

Reifman was recently appointed commissioner for the Department of Planning and Development, and who specialized in zoning, land use planning, TIFs, historic preservation, and public-private partnerships at DLA Piper, according to the Mayor’s release on his appointment.

Rhodes is President of East Lake Management Group, which specializes in affordable housing development and management. Rhodes served as treasurer for First CD Victory PAC, according to Illinois Sunshine, and also donated personally to many aldermanic Black Caucus campaigns. First CD Victory was active in the 2007 elections, donating to aldermanic campaigns for Madeline Haithcock (2), Latasha Thomas (17), Berny Stone (50), Lona Lane, and Economic, Capital and Technology Development Committee Chair Howard Brookins (21) by leading developers who supported then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. Rhodes was also listed on United Communities of Chicago’s PAC, which was active in the 2011 elections.

The committee is also set to vote on a handful of class 6(b) certifications in the 9th, 25th, and 38th wards, and a class 7(c) certification for an auto dealership in West Ridge.

The Director of the Council Office of Financial Analysis, Ben Winick, released a simple, but chocked-full of data 15-page PowerPoint slide on the city's budget numbers discussed thus far. It's probably the easiest way to get a handle on what's under discussion.

The final day of the City Council budget hearings started with a quick 15 minute briefing with the Department of Administrative Hearings, a nearly two hour hearing with the Department of Water Management, an approximately 40 minute hearing with the Department of Procurement Services, and it wrapped with the City’s Law Department and a tearful thank you to Budget Chair Carrie Austin (34).

Since it was the last day after a long slog, Vice Chair Jason Ervin (28) was in no mood to stay longer than needed. When Ald. David Moore (17), who already irked aldermen throughout the past two weeks for his persistent questioning, said he would wait for round two to ask follow up questions during the Department of Water Management hearing, Ervin grumbled, "It's Friday, man." The day’s session wrapped before 3:00 p.m.

 

Budget Chair Carrie Austin Delivers Tearful Thanks;
Reveals She Was In Coma During Hospitalization

Ald. Carrie Austin broke down in tears at the end of Friday's hearing while thanking a small group of aldermen for prayers during her illness, telling them she was near death and in a coma for two weeks.  

Austin was absent from Council several weeks throughout September, but aldermen and staffers kept her heart surgery under wraps. The Sun-Times broke a story just before budget season began, saying Austin had endured a couple lengthy hospital stays and one surgery, and cast doubt on whether she’d be able to chair what promised to be a contentious few weeks of hearings: “It’s highly unlikely Austin will have the stamina to chair marathon hearings that can drag on into the evening. Nor can she be counted on to be the iron-fisted chairman she has been.”

But Austin’s iron fist took center stage at several budget hearings, including with Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, and when keeping her fellow aldermen in line. Austin stayed late into the evening on several hearing days, sometimes sitting away from the podium or in the cloakroom while Budget Vice Chair Jason Ervintook over. She also became more active than usual on social media.

Ald. David Moore (17), who Austin had reprimanded a few times for asking too many questions and extending his time to second round questioning, brought her a big bouquet of flowers and thanked her on behalf of the full Council on the last day of budget hearings. “Chicago’s good and faithful servant, I appreciate you so much, and your colleagues as well. We appreciate you.”

“Still gonna be last,” she teased Moore, who ended up closing many hearing days with his extended questioning.

“Gosh, you had me crying when the Mayor did the Budget address, I’m gonna try not to do it this time.” She still cried.

Austin told aldermen she has a good bill of health, and two more doctor’s visits left. “I tore my aorta. I almost wasn’t here. But I’m grateful that God allowed me to be here. I was in the hospital 29 days. And in those 29 days that I was there, for the first two weeks I was unconscious, I was in a coma. Blood pressure went up over 300. The bottom number was 205, they couldn’t bring it down.”

Austin said after her hospital stay, she was home a week, but other aortic tears started near the bottom of her spine, requiring doctors at at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to put in three stents. “I’m doing pretty well unless it decides to go the other way, then it’ll be instant death. But if it happens, I’m ready to see the Lord, ‘cause I have served him all of my life.”

She told her colleagues, crying, that their prayers are what brought her back. “If I’ve offended anybody, I’m sorry. Charge it to my head and never to my heart, cause I love each and every one of y’all even though you make me sick and get on my nerves… But I do need to have a meeting with the newbies.” She sighed. Aldermen in the Chamber laughed.

“Flowers for a person while they yet live, while they can smell them, thank you. We made it through, and this meeting stands adjourned.” She got a standing ovation from those present.

ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS

With few aldermen on hand for the early Friday morning hearing with the Department’s Director Patricia Jackowiak, the quick 15 minute hearing was short on questions and heavy on accolades. Vice Chair Jason Ervin lead the meeting, with Budget Chairman Carrie Austin arriving later in the day.

Attendance: Vice Chair Jason Ervin (28), Pat Dowell (3), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Mike Zalewski (23), Ariel Reboyras (30), Gilbert Villegas (36), Marge Laurino (39)

Submitted written testimony.

The Department of Administrative Hearings is asking for a $8.18 million appropriation for next year, a 2.7% increase from last year’s $7.96M appropriation. The largest chunk of the budget, $3.03 million, will go toward vehicle hearings for parking, red light, automated speed camera, and booted vehicle violations.

Before concluding the meeting, Vice Chair Ervin said one thing that does concern him is the lack of salary increases for the judges the City hires to oversee hearings. “Being able to retain quality, qualified attorneys that act as administrative law judges is important,” Ervin said.

The Department hires and trains outside attorneys to decide cases and serve as Administrative Law Judges. The 2016 budget appropriation calls for a $2,760 salary increase for over last year for judges, totaling $94,740.

“Hopefully we can find resources to increase that, because the one concern I do have is retention. Most of the individuals that are there are knowledgeable. They’ve been there for awhile. They understand the process. They understand the communities. And that’s something we don’t want to lose.”

Highlights from written testimony:

• In 2014, Administrative Law Judges presided over 627,923 hearings.

• 1,555 low-income respondents received legal representation from independent attorneys when going before a judge at the Central Hearing Facility between 7/1/14- 6/30/15. It’s part of the non-profit legal aid service Coordinated Advice & Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS).

• The Department’s Telephone  Language Line Interpretation Service, commonly known as “Language Line”, saw a 90% increase in usage over 2009, with 33,512 minutes of interpretation service in 2014.

• By the end of 2015, DOAH anticipates it’ll conduct 10,000 more hearings than in 2014

 

WATER MANAGEMENT

Department of Water Management Commissioner Tom Powers faced another nuts and bolts heavy hearing, with aldermen focusing on local infrastructure projects and complaining about poorly done sidewalk restorations, the sluggish timeline of sewer repairs, and questions about water meters. Despite criticism, Powers says the department is on track to complete its 10-year Capital Plan the Mayor first unveiled in 2012.

Attendance: Vice Chair Jason Ervin (28), Pat Dowell (3), Roderick Sawyer (6), Greg Mitchell (7), Michelle Harris (8), Susan Sadlowski-Garza (9), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Marty Quinn (13), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Derrick Curtis (18), Matt O’Shea (19), Howard Brookins, Jr. (21), Mike Zalewski (23), Michael Scott, Jr. (24), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ariel Reboyras (30), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Deb Mell (33), Gilbert Villegas (36), Nick Sposato (38), Marge Laurino (39), Brendan Reilly (42), Tom Tunney (44), Michelle Smith (43) John Arena (45), James Cappleman (46), Deb Silverstein (50)

Submitted written testimony.

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11), a former Water Reclamation District Commissioner, came out of left field with an odd question about selling cat food. “At the water filtration plants, where we have the intake, there is a lot of fish, I guess, that come in there. What do we do with that? Do we sell that for cat food, or do we try to monetize that at all? Anything?”

Powers said it’s not just fish that get caught in the screens, there’s also trash and floating debris that gets grounded out and sent out for treatment.  “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure...and we could try to utilize some of that,” Ald. Thompson, said reluctantly.

Then there was Ald. Raymond Lopez (15), who wanted to know if it was possible for aldermen to get access to the keys to shut off fire hydrants that get opened illegally. But he was immediately shut down by Powers, who said “even the guy to my right won’t give a magnetic key to his mother.” Powers assured Ald. Lopez that the Department is using data to track open hydrants to find trouble spots.

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) asked Powers to “hurry up” and finish the water main repairs in his ward because “the traffic really stinks”, while Ald. Tom Tunney (44) complained about poorly done sidewalk restorations following underground water improvements.

“You know how I am about sidewalks,” Ald. Tunney lamented. “I do not believe they are done with the same quality that I see when our City department is in there...Water’s [restorations] are crap.”

But the most critical line of questioning came from South Side Ald. David Moore(17), as he pressed Powers to explain water rate increases and overtime amounts.

“I understand we are investing an extraordinary amount into our water delivery infrastructure, and I commend you on implementing all of this work,” Ald. Moore said, reading from his notes. “But financially, this investment has placed a rather large burden on people.”

In 2012, as part of his plan to update the city's water infrastructure, Mayor Emanuel proposed a four-year increase in rates for the City's water and sewer funds. In 2011, households paid a rate of $2.01/1000 gallons. The rate jumped to $3.82 this year, the final year of the phase-in. After this year, water rate increases will be  tied to the consumer price index.

“Water rates have increased by 60% over four years. Is that correct?” Ald. Moore asked Powers.

“It is about 60%, just over 60%,” Powers responded.

“If so, how do we explain that to people when their paychecks have certainly not gone up. And now we’re asking them for even more money,” Ald. Moore said, pointing to the Mayor’s proposed property tax hike and garbage fee in this year’s budget. “What is your plan for the future? Is it to continue to raise rates?”

“Alderman, Alderman,” Vice Chairman Ervin interjected before Powers could respond. “The rates in place were set four years ago [...] So the rate [increase] is not really a topic at this point…that’s something that’s kind of past us. But knock yourself out.”

After Powers assured Ald. Moore they could speak more about water rates offline, Ald. Moore pivoted to another hot topic: overtime.

“Under what circumstances do you authorize overtime?” Ald. Moore asked.

Powers said the Department has different types of overtime: contractual obligations with collective bargaining agreements, emergencies, and infrastructure malfunctions.

“And then there are instances where we use overtime to actually save money. And that doesn’t sound like an accurate statement,” Powers said explaining that in the water treatment plants, “in house forces” can compete against contractors to keep work in house if they are cheaper.

Powers gave the example of a recent project the Department undertook to replace 40 transformers. The original contractor for the project quoted $5,000 per transformer. But by opting to use city employees and paying them overtime hours instead, the Department got the job done for $2,900.

“So we actually saved money in this overall project by working with our in house crews and having them bid on work as if they were a contractor,” Powers said.

In the 2016 budget, the Department is asking for $4 million in overtime for its Bureau of Water Supply, despite spending $9.5 million in overtime in 2014. When asked about the difference, Powers said “shift coverage” was the main driver in those overtime hours and his department is working with the Budget Office to “hire strategically” to alleviate the costs.

The Department’s Bureau of Operations and Distribution spent $8.5 million in overtime in 2014 and is requesting $3 million next year, Ald. Moore pointed out. Those overtime hours are directly related to weather, emergencies, water main breaks, and sewer repairs, Powers replied. Major snow storms also lead to overtime hours in that sub-department because DWM helps Streets and Sanitation with snow removal.

And on the issue of delinquent water payments suburban towns owe the City, the Department has worked out payment plans to recoup $30 million dollars from the Cities of Dolton, Robins, and Harvey.

Highlights from written testimony:

• DWM purifies an average of 800 million gallons of water a day at the Department’s Jardine and South Water Purification Plants.

• 2.7 million customers are served in Chicago and 2.76 million customers in 125 surrounding suburbs, representing 42% of the state’s population.

 

PROCUREMENT SERVICES

After waiving the reading of the opening statement, and a surprisingly smaller than expected number of minority hiring questions, Commissioner Jamie Rhee spent a little over an hour testifying before the Budget Committee, where she revealed an unusual statistic: the City has made nearly $14 million dollars selling “junk” online over the past four years.

Attendance: Chair Carrie Austin (34), Vice Chair Jason Ervin (28), Joe Moreno (1), Pat Dowell (3), Michelle Harris (8), Susan Sadlowski-Garza (9), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Marty Quinn (13), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Derrick Curtis (18), Matt O’Shea (19), Howard Brookins, Jr. (21), Rick Munoz (22), Mike Zalewski (23), Michael Scott, Jr. (24), Chris Taliaferro (29), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Deb Mell (33), Gilbert Villegas (36), Nick Sposato (38), Marge Laurino (39), Brendan Reilly (42), Tom Tunney (44), Michelle Smith (43) John Arena (45), James Cappleman (46), Ameya Pawar (47), Deb Silverstein (50)

Submitted written testimony.

Since 2011, DPS has worked with other City departments to identify surplus or decommissioned items that can be auctioned online. Items range from smaller equipment like old typewriters, calculators, phones, obsolete copier toner, and dog cages, to bigger pieces like solar panels, and construction equipment.

“It is surprising, but there is a huge market for this,” Rhee explained. The Department has been hosting daily auctions online with buyers from all over the world bidding on the obsolete equipment. “The market is actually recycling them, and there is a very active market.”

In 2015 alone, DPS is on target to sell over $2 million dollars worth of obsolete items.

Most of the questions aldermen had for Commissioner Rhee focused on the bidding requirements and the average timeline for DPS’ business certification process.

Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11) asked about city residency requirements for local contracts. Commissioner Rhee said on all non-federally funded projects over $100,000, 50% of the hours worked must be done by city residents. But as soon as a single federal dollar touches a project, the City is barred from demanding local residency requirements.

Asked if there is an option to buy out of that, Rhee said no, because the requirements were set through city ordinance passed in May 2013. This year, DPS recouped $141,000 in penalties from businesses that failed to meet the requirements. Since projects tend to span several years, DPS regularly monitors hiring practices through the life of the project.

“If we only have a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of penalties–I don’t know what the penalties are--but it doesn’t seem like a lot,” Ald. Thompson said, suggesting the requirements be increased. Rhee said she was open to the idea.

On the business certification front, Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) asked if the certification timeline is too long, noting he has only three certified businesses in his ward, and was told by local contractors that they prefer to get certified by the County because the process is “half as long”.

“That is their feeling… I’m just relaying the message,” Lopez added.

But before Rhee answered his question, Chairman Austin interjected. “Not it doesn’t. Most of the time [businesses] are using that as an excuse to get pushed a little faster.”

“But then the question comes along with participation,” Ald. Lopez said. “When a number of businesses hear rumors and stories that the payment for contracts takes longer. And sometimes for businesses that are minority or disadvantaged or women owned, they don’t have the capital, resources, or cashflow to sustain themselves three-to-six months before their first payment. Is that something your department is looking to address so we don’t exclude [this] group?”

“Absolutely,” Rhee said the City has a “whole committee” looking at how DPS is processing payments to alleviate this issue.

The Department is asking for $7.859 million, a modest reduction from their 2015 allocation of $7.97 million.

 

LAW DEPARTMENT

The City’s Law Department had a relatively short hearing, but released a huge brag sheet at Friday’s hearing, the very last of budget testimony for this season. “I kind of apologize for that,” Corporation Counsel Steve Patton said before testifying for about 75 minutes. He released a six-part, 26 page written testimony that scratched the surface of all the different areas of City government the DOL touches.

Attendance: Joe Moreno (1), Brian Hopkins (2), Pat Dowell (3), Leslie Hairston (5), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Derrick Curtis (18), Matt O’Shea (19), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Scott Jr. (24), Jason Ervin (29), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Carrie Austin (34, Nicholas Sposato (38), Brendan Reilly (42)

The department has 436 budgeted full time positions for 2016, one less than last year. The largest group of employees, 83, work in Building and License enforcement. DOL’s budget of $36.9 million has barely budged since Patton started, a consistency he says is purposeful. Among Patton’s long written testimony were the department’s impact on real estate and building code enforcement, the Barack Obama Foundation’s decision to choose Chicago for its location, changes to workers compensation and union agreements, the City minimum wage, parking ticket enforcement, sale of vacant lots, and renegotiated credit agreements.

The first question out of the gate came from Vice Chair Jason Ervin (28), who asked about police settlement cases. Patton estimated police settlements cost taxpayers $16.5 million this year (one settlement alone, the shooting death of teenager LaQuan McDonald, cost the City $5 million). But he said that number could have been much higher, and DOL only settles when it has to. “The only time I will settle the case is where my lawyers convince me the outcome for taxpayers is likely to be far worse if we don’t settle… we can’t wish these lawsuits away.” The Law Department won 40 of the 49 police cases it tried. In those cases, plaintiffs sought more than $60 million in damages, but recovered only $6 million.

The City’s expecting to pay $30 million dollars for settlements alone this year. That’s a 48% reduction from 2014, and 62% from 2013. When you add judgements, the City will pay $55 million. That number is still down by 42% from 2014, and 47% from 2013.

But there’s still cutting to do, Patton says. “We’re not doing a victory lap on this.” DOL has been working to cut through a backlog of costly cases from the Daley Administration. Patton said City lawyers in the previous administration would wait until just before a court date to decide whether to settle, compounding costs. Patton’s ended that practice, but that doesn’t mean the city isn’t still being sued for things like police shootings.

Patton also fielded questions about money and enforcement around vacation rental sites like Airbnb. He said he can’t disclose numbers about taxes collected from those sites, but the collection is “substantial,” now that sites have created an infrastructure to collect payment from users.

Throughout budget proceedings, aldermen have expressed worry that more than a thousand vacation rentals are making money without paying for a vacation rental license from the city. Ald. Reilly (42) said only 200 of the 3000 listed Airbnb units are registered, and there’s a rumor the DOL is working secretly to negotiate a separate set of rules and regulations just for Airbnb. Patton said he had no knowledge of any dealings, but would look into it.  

Aldermen also asked for an update on the $5.5 million the city agreed to pay in reparations for victims of torture by Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge. Patton said the process has so far gone “surprisingly smoothly.” The time for victims to make claims has expired, and the Law Department is working through deciding whether claims are meritorious. Advocacy groups who litigated on behalf of victims have referred 44 claimants, which have all been reviewed. More than 50 new claimants have also come in from off the radar, Patton said, and are in the process of being reviewed. Daniel T. Coyne, a law professor at Kent College, is independently reviewing claims with law students, and sending them on to DOL.

Other facts revealed in testimony:

• When discussing staffing, Patton revealed some of DOL’s tax enforcement priorities: “We are putting a renewed focus on trying to extract all the value we can in enforcing property taxes, and in opposing commercial requests for property tax reductions.”

• DoL collected a record-breaking $171.3 million in overdue monies owed to the City in 2014. The Department expects to set more records, including a $10 million increase in overdue parking tickets.

• The City won 85% of police cases it tried in 2015. It won or obtained dismissal in 102 out of 207 cases resolved through August 2015.

• The City’s cut down on legal costs by at least $90 million since 2011 by deciding whether cases should go to trial or be settled earlier. DOL estimates the timely settlement of one case, Hunter (McDonald) v. City of Chicago, saved the City $4.5 million alone.

• DOL’s employment is one of few with majority female employees, roughly 60%, and an equal gender split amongst Department managers.

• The City’s conveyed more than 425 vacant parcels for a $1 to neighbors in Englewood, West Englewood, Woodlawn, Washington Park, Greater Grand Crossing, New City, Fuller Park, East Garfield Park and Greater Englewood since December 2014. The Law Department expects to close 90 more in Austin before the end of this year, and open up 300 lots in Pullman and Roseland soon.

• After the Moody’s downgrade, DoL attorneys worked “literally around the clock” to prevent 11 banks from demanding immediate repayment of more than $1.8 billion in outstanding credit agreements, and negotiated forbearance agreements instead. Patton said one lawyer was up 36 hours on the case. That allowed the city to convert $806 million in variable rate general obligation bonds and $112 million in sales tax revenue bonds within a month of Moody’s downgrade.

• In 2015, DoL has prosecuted more than 350 drug and gang house cases and more than 350 license cases, including 178 license revocations for businesses.

• DoL expects to file a total of 900 to 1,000 building demolition cases by the end of the year.

Expect most of your burning budget questions to get clarification at the full City Council meeting on Wednesday, October 14th, when the revenue and levy ordinances will be introduced by the Mayor’s Office. It’s also public comment day for the budget. Budget office spokeswoman Molly Poppe said that introduction will include clarification on the controversial cloud tax. We’ll be looking for possible changes in the property tax levy and any movement on 311 privatization.

The public hearing will be followed by a Budget Committee meeting on the 19th and a Finance Committee meeting on the 20th, Poppe says. The Budget Committee meets again to “defer and publish” on October 21. The text of the ordinance is published in the Council Journals of Proceedings, but not passed, held for a vote until the next meeting. Final consideration is acted on during the “Unfinished Business” portion of a full City Council meeting, scheduled for October 28.

There were 4 “no” votes on last year’s budget: Ald. Bob Fioretti (2), who was running against Rahm Emanuel for Mayor at the time; Ald. Toni Foulkes, who was then 15th Ward Alderman, and is now 16th; Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), and Ald. John Arena (45).  

LICENSE APPEAL COMMISSION

Day 9 of the City Council Budget hearings kicked off with a quick, 20 minute hearing with the License Appeal Commission. With few questions asked and a small pool of aldermen present in the Chambers, Commission Chairman Dennis Michael Fleming gave a brief breakdown of cases heard over the past year, how fees are collected, and his annual salary.

Submitted written testimony.

Attendance: Chairman Carrie Austin (34), Vice Chairman Jason Ervin (28), Leslie Hairston (5), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Raymond Lopez (15), Michael Zalewski (23), Ariel Reboyras (30), Scott Waguespack (32), Gilbert Villegas (36), Anthony Napolitano (41), James Cappleman (46) 

The Commission hears appeals from businesses and individuals seeking a review of decisions of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and the Local Liquor Control Commission. Fifty-two appeals were filed last year: 83% of those cases were applicant cases related to denied liquor licenses, the rest were disciplinary. The Commission has one full time position. Chairman Fleming said he works an average of 12 hours a week with an hourly rate of $125.

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND SUPPORT SERVICES 

Questions about mental health programs for the City’s homeless population and suggestions on how DFSS could cut waste by changing how it allocates resources to delegate agencies took the brunt of the roughly two hour DFSS hearing with newly appointed Commissioner Lisa Morrison Butler. Having only assumed the office 50 days ago–a point she made repeatedly–Butler had several members of the DFSS staff back her testimony with data and background when asked statistic-related questions or about specific programs DFSS oversees.   

Attendance: Chairman Carrie Austin (34), Vice Chairman Jason Ervin (28), Pat Dowell (3), Leslie Hairston (5), Gregory Mitchell (7), Michelle Harris (8), Anthony Beale (9), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Matt O’Shea (19), Rick Munoz (22), Michael Zalewski (23), Michael Scott, Jr. (24), Walter Burnett (27), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ariel Reboyras (30), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Deb Mell (33), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nick Sposato (38), Anthony Napolitano (41), Brendan Reilly (42), Michele Smith (43), John Arena (45) James Cappleman (46), Harry Osterman (48), Deb Silverstein (50). 

Submitted written testimony.

Several aldermen asked why there isn’t more coordination between DFSS and the Public Health Department when it comes to mental health programs geared towards the city’s homeless population. 

A frustrated Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30) pounded his fists on the desk to lament the lack of programming and suggested DFSS and the City’s Health Department pool their resources. “This will alleviate the problems we have in jails,” Reboyras explained. He recalled an incident “four or five years ago” where he had to personally help a homeless man in his ward find shelter because resources were scarce. He said he bought the man a bottle of vodka, shared a drink on the street because, as Ald. Reboyras said “ if you can’t help him, you might as well join him”, and eventually helped the man find shelter at the local YMCA. “These are little things that no one knows the alderman does.” 

According to the City's last “point-in-time” count, there are approximately 6,700 individuals living on city streets or in city shelters;19.4% of those counted suffer from mental illness, 22.7% suffer from substance abuse. 

When Ald. Michele Smith (43) asked Butler to detail some of the main obstacles to find shelter for those who don’t suffer from either ailment, and if Single-Room Occupancy units might help mitigate those obstacles, Butler deferred the question to a member of her staff. Deputy Commissioner Alisa Rodriguez said, “to some extent,” saying affordability is more important.     

Butler said she is trying to collaborate with other city departments to make sure funding is spent efficiently. She said she has already had two meetings with Health Commissioner Julie Morita, adding that implementing new programs geared towards the City’s homeless population take time, because a relationship of “trust” between government agencies and the homeless take time. “They don’t have to go into shelter and they don’t have to take the services,” Butler explained. Unlike New York City, Chicago doesn’t have a court mandated right to shelter; all programs geared towards the City’s homeless population are on a voluntary basis.

As for ways DFSS could cut spending, Ald. Scott Waguespack (32) pointed to a Chicago Jobs Council survey that found DFSS had spent $350,000 in fees associated with the single-ride Ventra cards delegate agencies hand out to to help low-income job seekers get to interviews or students traveling to school. Calling the fees paid to Ventra owner Cubic “inappropriate”, Ald. Waguespack asked that DFSS look into the issue. “I don’t think anyone realized this was going on except Ventra seeing their bottom line increase to our detriment.”

DFSS Managing Deputy David Wells told Waguespack the department could work better with CTA as well as CPS to see if there is a way to “alleviate” that issue.

Another vocal member of the Progressive Caucus, Ald. John Arena (45) said he didn’t understand why DFSS needs its own Human Resources team when the City already has a Department of Human Resources. He brought up a similar issue during the Department of Public Health hearing. Going line-by-line listing the titles for the HR division within DFSS, Ald. Arena said the $500,000 appropriation didn’t make sense. ”I’m seeing redundancies here and within the Department of Health and that’s troubling to me. We are asking for the largest property tax increase and we’re not looking at our budgets and departments to say, ‘Where can we reduce redundancy?’”

Reminding Ald. Arena that she is new to the job, Butler said she didn’t have an immediate answer for him, and will have a better update on how the department can be more efficient after she works with an independent consulting agency, The Civic Consulting Alliance.

Other figures revealed in testimony:

• DFSS provides direct assistance to more than 300,000 Chicagoans annually through a citywide network of more than 300 community-based delegate agencies.

• The 2016 DFSS allocation is $348 million, representing a 4.7% increase over the 2015 allocation

• $170 million dollars will be invested in Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Care programs, including $15 million as part of the Early Head Start Child Care Partnership Grant

• DFSS is rolling out a P-3 Grant Pilot Program for teen mothers and their children. The initiative will provide mothers with training, job opportunities, and the ability to finish their high school degrees.

• 24,679 Chicago youth participated in the City’s employment initiative, One Summer Chicago (OSC), representing a 70% increase from 2011. DFSS wants to expand the program to 25,000 in 2016.

• $61,252,572 will be allocated to homeless programs, expanding the Mayor’s Plan 2.0 to End Homelessness.

• By the end of 2015, DFSS expects to open the City’s first domestic violence shelter in more than ten years. The two-story shelter will have 40 beds and the capacity to serve more than 100 families in 2016.

 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

A lengthy, and at times, contentious hearing with the Chicago Department of Transportation focused a significant amount of time on a budget item close to aldermen’s hearts: menu money and the rising cost of infrastructure improvements throughout the city. CDOT is asking for $576 million in this year’s budget: about $28 million more than last year. Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld fielded questions and praise for more than three hours Thursday.

Submitted written testimony.

Attendance: Chair: Carrie Austin (34), Joe Moreno (1), Pat Dowell (3), Leslie Hairston (5), Roderick Sawyer (6), Gregory Mitchell (7), Michelle Harris (8), Sue Sadlowski Garza (10), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), George Cardenas (12), Marty Quinn (13), Ed Burke (14), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Matt O’Shea (19), Howard Brookins (21), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Scott Jr (24), Walter Burnett Jr. (27), Jason Ervin (28), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ariel Reboyras (30), Scott Waguespack (32), Deb Mell (33), Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Nicholas Sposato (38), Anthony Napolitano (41), Brendan Reilly (42), Tom Tunney (44), John Arena (45), James Cappleman (46), Ameya Pawar (47), Harry Osterman (48), Deb Silverstein (50) 

A small argument broke out between Ald. Brendan Reilly (42), and Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30) and Ald. Joe Moreno (1). Throughout budget hearings, Reilly has pressed commissioners to justify a budget increase over the previous year, and asked them to detail increased expenses and additional positions. He devoted his full 10 minutes of question time to asking about overtime pay, why aldermen should pay for Americans with Disabilities Act compliant ramps when it’s in CDOT’s budget, and new positions added.

“Where in the line item is funding for the Active Transportation Alliance?” Reilly asked. The Alliance advocates for greater access to, and use of, public transportation, biking, and walking. CDOT pays the Alliance a consulting fee using a portion of federal grants dedicated to safety, Scheinfeld said. 

“They’re an advocacy organization as much as they are an education organization,” Reilly pushed back, saying there should be a delineation. “There are some members of this Council who are targeted by these folks in their advocacy when a bike lane is resisted or changes are proposed… I don’t believe tax dollars should be used to subsidize political activity, period.”

“What does this have to do with CDOT?” Ald. Reboyras said off-mic, “They do wonderful work.” Reboyras serves on the Alliance Board of Directors. 

“Maybe you could speak during your time, Alderman Reboyras,” Reilly retorted.

Ald. Joe Moreno (1) also voiced his support for the Alliance to the whole chamber, off-mic.

“Great. Good for you, Joe,” Reilly replied.

Chairman Carrie Austin reprimanded the group, “No outbursts.”

By the end of the exchange, Reilly’s 10 minutes were up, and several aldermen went to Reboyras’ desk to speak with him. 

Ald. Tom Tunney (44) wrangled with Scheinfeld over quality control on CDOT projects involving private contractors, who Tunney says sometimes screw up and have to do the job twice. He pointed to bad concrete pours and pothole fills. “This comes up all the time. Who is watching these privates on behalf of the taxpayer, and making sure that you’re in there once, you’re doing the job right, and move on?” Tunney asked.

Public way inspectors and CDOT’s permit office have oversight, Scheinfeld says, and the department aims to “minimize disruption,” but she didn’t discuss how screw-ups were punished. Contractors have to re-do projects if it’s done incorrectly but only within the warranty period, she added. Tunney used the rest of his allotted time to drive the point home, and suggested they meet after the hearing to figure out how to fine contractors for mistakes outside the warranty period.   

The maligned, now revamped Chicago Infrastructure Trust 2.0 was also a talking point. In September, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the ambitious “Chicago Smart Lighting Project”, a plan to overhaul the City’s lighting without using taxpayer money. Ald Marty Quinn (13) asked whether it could save aldermen menu money. Aldermen can easily spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in menu money lighting a park or single block. The Trust has put out an RFI (Request for Information) on the project, due in November. Scheinfeld said even before the announcement, CDOT was getting unsolicited pitches from businesses.   

Scheinfeld says the department wants to find out what other revenue sources lighting upgrades could support. “Street lights are essentially real estate,” she said upgrading all the city’s light infrastructure would take a huge investment. 

Ald. Harry Osterman (48) took a shine to the idea of private, branded funding for lighting improvements. “I think that the lighting we’ve put in the last four years has probably done as much for crime reduction as a lot of other efforts, but it kills us with the menu,” he said, supporting allowing companies to pay to brand municipal assets to money for infrastructure updates. “If it’s Whole Foods or Ikea or GE Lighting and they have their sign on there, I don’t care, and I don’t think my constituents care… if we get the light there, I would be welcome to be a pilot.” 

More on how aldermen have spent menu money in our previous report.

Ald. George Cardenas (12) echoed Osterman’s sentiment, saying dealing with CDOT is “very emotional” and says he has 3 states of emotion: Negative Ned, Positive Polly, and Flip Flop Freddy. He says he often begins an infrastructure project thinking CDOT won’t make it happen, then believes it will, then can’t actually pick projects from the menu because they’re too expensive. “Shopping with CDOT is like shopping at a Bloomingdale's, you like what you see, but you can’t afford it… I know inflation is not the problem. I know stagflation is not the problem, but our dollars are worth half of what they were 8 years ago.”

The $1.3 million allocation for each alderman “doesn’t buy anything anymore,” Cardenas said, adding he won’t finish lighting McKinley Park before he retires. Scheinfeld says CDOT always tries to help aldermen stretch their dollars as far as possible, sympathizes with cost hikes, and says rising menu prices are updated based on actual costs. 

Funding is also a problem for the expansion of Divvy, which Scheinfeld couldn’t give a conclusive timeline on for full expansion to the whole city. While aldermen are thrilled with the program’s growth over the past 2 years, others are clamoring for more. Ald. Matt O’Shea (19), whose ward is on the far South West Side, hasn’t seen Divvy reach his ward yet. Neighboring Ald. Anthony Beale (9) also asked about South Side expansion. Sheinfeld said they’re working on finding more federal funding, and want to reach every edge of the city. 

Other figures revealed in testimony:

• $5 million total is allocated for the Shared Sidewalk program for the next couple years, Scheinfeld said. Residents chip in $4 per square foot for sidewalk repairs, seniors even less, and CDOT covers the rest. Ald. O’Shea (19) said signups in his ward topped out in early January last year.

• The department expects to have 163 vacancies going into next year–fewer than listed in the budget.

• CDOT will spend $3.1 million on bike lanes, totaling up 100 miles of the lanes across Chicago by the end of fall.

• The budget office estimated CDOT had the highest absenteeism rate of the City’s big departments - 8.8%. Scheinfeld expects $2.5 million in savings from reduced absenteeism.

• 40% of Chicagoans commute to work on bikes or by public transportation.

On a day when many Council watchers expected fireworks, there were few true explosions from aldermen during Tuesday’s nearly six-hour Police Department budget hearing with Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. Even the biggest firecracker in the meeting, Budget Chair Carrie Austin, seemed to turn around by the hearing’s conclusion, “I’ve seen a different Garry. Not a Superintendent, but a different Garry…the one thing that I have seen that I have not seen in the past, and that’s compassion. Thank you for that.”

Other Black Caucus members, such as Ald. Michelle Harris (8), Ald. Greg Mitchell (7), and Ald. Emma Mitts (37), who all called for Supt. McCarthy’s firing the day before, approached him after the final gavel to shake his hand, and smiled as they parted ways.

Supt. McCarthy expressed surprise in a press conference after the hearing that tensions with the Black Caucus had mounted so much so that they called for his firing. “I just met with the Black Caucus for a couple of hours a few days ago, and the same conversations we had here, we had in that room, with the exception of one or two folks who were not there. So it did catch me a little off guard. You have to be prepared for surprises in this business, I guess.”

The day’s biggest contrasts were drawn between Black Caucus aldermen and a cadre of white aldermen who mostly had praise for Supt. McCarthy and CPD, efforts Ald. Austin described as “lopsided”. Great on the North Side, but “a bucket of blood” elsewhere.

Attendance: Budget Chair Carrie Austin (34), Joe Moreno (1), Brian Hopkins (2), Pat Dowell (3), Will Burns (4), Leslie Hairston (5), Roderick Sawyer (6), Gregory Mitchell (7), Michelle Harris (8), Anthony Beale (9), Sue Sadlowski Garza (10), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), George Cardenas (12), Marty Quinn (13), Ed Burke (14), Raymond Lopez (15), Toni Foulkes (16), David Moore (17), Matt O’Shea (19), Willie Cochran (20), Howard Brookins Jr. (21), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Zalewski (23), Michael Scott Jr (24), Danny Solis (25), Walter Burnett Jr. (27), Jason Ervin (28), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ariel Reboyras (30), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Deb Mell (33), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nicholas Sposato (38), Marge Laurino (39), Anthony Napolitano (41), Brendan Reilly (42), Michele Smith (43), Tom Tunney (44), John Arena (45), James Cappleman (46), Ameya Pawar (47), Harry Osterman (48), Joe Moore (49)

It was a packed house. Only Ald. Derrick Curtis (18) (who has been on his honeymoon), Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26), Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Ald. Pat O’Connor (40), and Ald. Deb Silverstein (50) did not attend.

McCarthy started the meeting by getting ahead of his critics’ main bones of contention by reading his full, written statement outlining CPD's response to recent violence:

• Adding extra saturation units, which can be deployed quickly to address gang violence.


• A change that every illegal gun possession arrest will be assigned a dedicated detective, to arrest and charge anyone involved in an illegal gun transfer at any point in its history.


• Prioritizing city services for higher crime communities. Those communities will get their service requests–lighting, broken windows, abandoned buildings, and overgrown bushes–handled first.

Then, Supt. McCarthy responded to hours of questioning from aldermen frustrated with insufficient police response to problems in their ward.

Ald. Anthony Beale (9), one of the Superintendent’s most vocal opponents, didn’t ask Supt. McCarthy questions, only telling him that he’s tried to work with the police department on crime in his ward several times “to no avail.”

Ald. Michelle Harris (8) said CPD’s CAPS outreach was poorly staffed, and cops weren’t addressing quality of life issues.

Ald. Jason Ervin (28) said, “the same items we discussed in 2011 are the same items we’re discussing going into 2016… What do you plan to do different?” Ald. David Moore (17), and Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) brought up McCarthy’s firing again.

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5) criticized $30 million in spending on Operation Impact, a saturation program in high crime areas. “I cannot continue to try to justify $100 million in overtime when we have no results. We don’t have crime down. We have not reduced any of the violence at all. I don’t under when enough is enough or when you get signaled that it’s not working.” Supt. McCarthy disagreed, and said reductions in Impact zones have been significant.

Ald. Tom Tunney (44) said there have been big staffing reductions in his ward since the merger of the 19th and 23rd police districts, from 468 officers to 333. Supt. McCarthy apologized, and said he used to have a map to review staffing on a daily or weekly basis. “I got away from that, we’ll get it fixed. I take the hit."

Ald. Harry Osterman (48) told McCarthy the spike in crime near Argyle and thousands of shooting victims city-wide were “eating the soul of the city out."

“What can we do as elected officials?” Ald. O’Shea (19) asked about 90 minutes into the hearing, “Because I think we all have some responsibility in all this.”

Supt. McCarthy took pains to illustrate the illegal gun problem in Chicago, repeating a statistic that the city has seven times more guns than New York City. He pointed to some department victories, saying 5,500 illegal guns have been taken off the streets in 2015 alone, and gun arrests are up, but “We’re drinking from a fire hose…I don’t know if that resonates with anyone,” he said, audibly frustrated.

That set off Budget Chair Carrie Austin, seated immediately to McCarthy’s left. “You’re not answering Alderman O’Shea. All 49 of us that sit here today, what is it that YOU can tell us that we can do?

“Let’s get on a bus and go to Springfield,” Supt. McCarthy responded.

“And if you get the law changed, what is it still that we can do as elected officials that’s going to better our community and allow our children to have a life to live?” Austin asked.

“Hold the entire system accountable. I’m being held accountable right now…” Supt. McCarthy said.

Austin interrupted, “As are we!” Ald. Austin wanted something concrete. “Don’t tell me about no more legislation. We don’t control them. What we control is what is here.” She said the Police Department doesn’t pay attention to issues in her ward.

“There’s not a magic solution to this, and I can’t tell you one thing that’s going to change this,” Supt. McCarthy said. He said teamwork between legislators, prosecutors, the judiciary, and police is the answer to systemic problems, and pointed again to a need for change from Springfield. He said CPD could make arrests, but the bar for getting cases prosecuted is high, and his officers are arresting criminals with long rap sheets who get to go back out on the street.

As the afternoon wore on, it was marked by a fundamental disagreement between Supt. McCarthy and his staunchest critics about the solution for violence in the city, with Supt. McCarthy insisted CPD has made significant headway, but deep, systemic problems persisted. “I constructed New York’s crime strategies…I know what needs to happen. It’s the clearest thing on earth to me…Quite frankly I believed that we were getting some momentum on the issue, it was happening behind the scenes, it was happening in front of the cameras, and I’m concerned about this being derailed right now.” Supt. McCarthy said his goal is tracking down guns, finding trafficking patterns, and getting cases all the way to convictions.

Black Caucus aldermen continued to slam Supt. McCarthy on quality of life issues. From the sale of loose cigarettes and marijuana to public drinking, many black aldermen said they felt smaller crimes on the South Side were low on the Police Department’s priority list. Supt. McCarthy later said quality of life issues seemed to be the biggest complaint of the day.

Non-Black Caucus aldermen for the most part praised Supt. McCarthy and district commanders, using their allotted 10 minutes of questions to ask about vacation time for overtime officers, money spent on police settlements, sexual assault cases, and about tickets, or Administrative Notices of Violation (ANOVs).

Making his first appearance at a budget hearing this season, Ald. Ed Burke (14), a former police officer, offered complete support of Supt. McCarthy and the Police Department as a whole. “A lot of frustration I hear today is out of the hands of police. I think we’ve got the best police department in the nation,” he told Supt. McCarthy, “Chicago has the best big city police chief in the country today.”

Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41), another former police officer, also offered his praise, and said everyone should work to boost police morale, instead of pointing fingers. “Everybody wants answers…we need to realize what’s going on here. Kids aren’t out there just being knuckleheads, this is about money. This is about territory. This isn’t just ah, it’s nice out, I’m gonna shoot somebody…your job is harder than any job. More people need to get in that squad car,” and said Chicago violence needs to be classified as a war.

While Supt. McCarthy said there were more cops per capita than any other big city, Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) a cop for 21 years right up until his election last April, pushed back. He had specific complaints about low staffing, a lack of morale, the violence reduction initiative being a failure, and a proliferation of shootings and sexual assaults in his West Side ward. He said he wasn’t speaking as a cop, but for his constituents when he called for Supt. McCarthy’s resignation Monday. “We need real resources…the responses we got the other day [at the Black Caucus meeting], Superintendent, they were as if they came from a car salesman.”

By the end of the night, only a few of the biggest stakeholders were left. Ald. Raymond Lopez (15), who had a shooting in front of his ward office and a gathered stack of headlines about violence in his ward, including the death of a grandmother and pregnant mom; a collection of black caucus members, who the day before had called on Supt. McCarthy to quit; Public Safety Chair Ariel Reboyras (30), who’d stayed silent all day; and Chairman Austin, who hours before had told the crowd to stay orderly, then gave the most passionate testimony, sitting right next to Supt. McCarthy.

By hour five of testimony, at 6:00 p.m., where the press box had earlier contained a horde, it held a mere 3 reporters. There were less than 20 stragglers in the gallery, a more measured tone from those left.

Reboyras painted both sides, saying quality of life issues are problems across the City, even as he has few problems in his own ward. “I don’t expect you or the Chicago police officers to quit on us. I think it’s going to be full speed ahead,” he said. “I also want to reiterate that we are going to vote on the largest property tax increase in Chicago…but we need to address what our colleagues have said today…we as aldermen are being blamed.”

At the end of the evening, Ald. Carrie Austin asked for the second time, after more than five hours of contentious testimony, “I won’t reiterate my displeasure, but I will still say it again, over and over, Superintendent, what is it that we can do to help you help us?” she asked. “We need to have a strategy… and when we can get that, then we can be a better Chicago, we don’t have to be Chiraq anymore… I think you’re doing as well as can be expected, but we expect more. We really expect more.”

Supt. McCarthy told reporters after the long day he had no intentions to step down. He said there was too much work to be done.

And he was backed up by Mayor Rahm Emanuel earlier in the day, when during a press conference he said, “I stand by the Superintendent, I stand by the men and women of the police department and I stand by the culture of professionalism of the Police Department.”

Other figures revealed during testimony:

• Of the 319 officers Mayor Emanuel has planned to transition from desk to beat duty, more than half, 167, will start this year as detention aides and property custodians. 90 of those officers will be placed on high crime saturation teams.


• The Department has 201 vacancies. Those will be filled at least in part by a new class of recruits coming in at the end of October, and another in November.


• $30M has been spent on crime initiatives in 2015 in 20 operation impact zones.


• CPD issued 125,000 Administrative Notices of Violation, or ANOVs, this year. McCarthy says 65% of them have gone toward the four top quality of life complaints: people smoking marijuana, public drinking, public urination, and gambling.


• McCarthy says he’s in favor of body cameras, in general, and there is currently a grant-funded pilot program in place, but would take a significant investment to make body cameras happen Department-wide.


• Civilian complaints against police are in decline, McCarthy says, down double digits compared to last year, and a quarter less than 4 years ago.


• Police-involved shootings are down 38% from last year.

Black Caucus’ members demands to get rid of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy are real, aldermen, Council staffers and members of the administration told Aldertrack last night. The pressure has been building up for some time now, as aldermen are frustrated that McCarthy and district commanders he has appointed don’t return aldermanic phone calls, fail to consult with them on staff changes, and tend not to communicate plans big and small to address crime.

Virtually the entire Black Caucus attended a press conference outside Council chambers yesterday afternoon calling for McCarthy’s outster. Only Walter Burnett Jr. (27) Howard Brookins Jr. (21), Derrick Curtis (18) and Will Burns (4) did not attend. Scott Waguespack (32), Raymond Lopez (15) and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa(35) also joined. Burns penned a response opposing the Caucus’ call for McCarthy’s ouster, but more significant was that staunch Mayor Rahm Emanuel supporter and Budget Chair Carrie Austin (34) came out against him, and even had some angry words to share in the press conference.

“My concern is that my constituents get sick and tired of hearing about statistics and no action. You read the Trib - why don’t we own it? We own it every day,” Austin said.

“That’s right,” Caucus members responded.

“Every time somebody is shot, every time somebody’s been killed, we’re the ones knocking on the door,” Austin said, banging on the podium. “Everybody’s that’s standing here today works diligently to try to combat some of these things going on in our community.”

The timing is auspicious, as McCarthy appears before the Budget Committee this afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Expect a packed gallery and no light touch from Ald. Austin as she chairs the hearing.

But Mayor Emanuel is unlikely to dump McCarthy, say administration insiders, since the two of them are tied at the hip on crime policy. Some insiders even think Emanuel admires McCarthy’s my-way-or-the-highway attitude, one of the biggest problems cited by Caucus members we’ve spoken to, who’ve called McCarthy “disrespectful” and “condescending,” both to brass and aldermen.

Mayor Emanuel, who does not have a history of bending when threatened, issued a statement late Monday supporting McCarthy: “While the mayor shares the concerns about rising gun violence, our focus must remain on the public safety challenge we face–reducing access to the illegal guns that drive violence in our communities.”

Ald. Anthony Beale (9) dismissed the idea the timing of the announcement was calculated to overshadow a vote on a hike in the property tax and garbage fees. “Spin it however you want to. We’re fed up, and we’re looking for change. We are demanding a better quality of life for our community.”  

Ald. Lopez said the timing might seem calculated, but the fatal shooting in his ward last week cemented his stance, “I was having these feelings last week when the grandmother and pregnant mother were both shot and killed in Back of the Yards. That kind of crystallized it for me, and whatever the timing, I think the end result is the same: we need change.”

So, what comes next?

Caucus members are well aware Emanuel won’t fire McCarthy anytime soon, we’re told off the record. There was talk of a meeting of Caucus members with Emanuel set for tomorrow morning, but we’re told no meeting has been scheduled. However, there is an expectation that at some point, some pound of flesh will be extracted by the Black Caucus.

“One thing is for sure,” one old administration hand told us, “Mayor Daley would never have let a press conference like that happen. He would have talked to people first.”

And that’s probably the biggest problem Mayor Emanuel has. His credibility as someone to take your problems to has suffered enough that aldermen feel they have to take it to the media instead.

THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The Budget Committee blazed through hearings for the Office of Disabilities in an amazing seven minutes. Short of a couple comments from aldermen thanking Comm. Karen Tamley for her work stretching out Community Development Block Grants, there were few questions. 

Submitted written testimony. 

Attendance: Chair Carrie Austin (34), Leslie Hairston (5), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Scott (24), Jason Ervin (28), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ariel Reboyras (30), Anthony Napolitano (40). 

INDEPENDENT POLICE REVIEW AUTHORITY

Administrator Scott Ando trumpeted his organization’s ability to get out from IPRA’s case backlog, reducing pending cases from 2,200 in 2011 to 410 this year. Safer Report standards have called for 90% of cases to be resolved within 18 months, IPRA is at about 80% within 18 months.

Attendance: Chair Carrie Austin (34), Pat Dowell (3), Leslie Hairston (5), Roderick Sawyer (6), David Moore (17), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Zalewski (23), Michael Scott (24), Jason Ervin (28), Chris Taliaferro (29), Scott Waguespack (32), Emma Mitts (37), Anthony Napolitano (40), Brendan Reilly (42), Michele Smith (43), John Arena (45), Joe Moore (49), Ameya Pawar (47).

Submitted written testimony. 

Ando was asked in a number of different ways from aldermen about the status of the case with former IPRA investigator Lorenzo Davis and the merits of his charges that he was asked to make changes to reports. Answering Ald. Jason Ervin (28) he said, “I firmly believe that every allegation put forth in that lawsuit and put in the media is absolutely without merit.”

In an hour of questioning, aldermen were generally supportive of IPRA and Ando’s work during the Q&A session, focusing their questions on procedure.

Some other facts and figures from the Q&A session:

• In 2015 IRPA recommended 8 officers be separated and recommended 6 others for criminal prosecution.

• In 2015, IPRA attempted 76 mediations, it was accepted in 68 cases - 89.5%.

• Since 2012, around 450 cases have gone to mediation for a penalty.

• The city averages about 50 incidents where an officer shoots at someone each year.

• Before cases are allowed to go to mediation, all four top IPRA officials review it.

• The number of allegations this year are down about two-thirds than this time last year.

 

CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SPECIAL EVENTS 

Breaking a trend, Chair Austin asked Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Comm. Michelle Boone to read her whole testimony, adding ten minutes to the hearing. Most of the aldermen focused on ways to promote events and to manage permitting in their wards. 

Attendance: Chair Carrie Austin (34), Leslie Hairston (5), Anthony Beale (9), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), David Moore (17), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Zalewski (23), Michael Scott (24), Jason Ervin (28), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nicholas Sposato (38), Marge Laurino (39), Anthony Napolitano (40), Brendan Reilly (42), Tom Tunney (44), John Arena (45), Ameya Pawar (47), Harry Osterman (48), Joe Moore (49)

Submitted written testimony.

  Some facts and figures revealed during the Q&A session:

• The Chicago Fire Festival - initial commitment was to support the festival for three years, this is the third and final year. The new location on Northerly Island worked well - and this year the houses burned. But there is no allocation in 2016.

• The Taste of Chicago had a $320,000 profit this year. First profit since 2013, which made just over $200,000. Boone believes it’s because there are more dining options offered.

• Special Events is working with CDOT to brand the various rapid transit stops drawing attention to city art. For instance the one on south side of Washington Ave. by Daley Plaza might be labeled the “Miro Stop”.

• DCASE is seeking a city-wide sponsor for the city’s Jumping Jack inflatables.

• Street festivals are not allowed by law to charge for access to the public way.

 

AVIATION 
by A.D. Quig - [email protected]

A lengthy Department of Aviation hearing with new Commissioner Ginger Evansfocused on a popular topic at budget hearings and constituent meetings–minority hiring and airport noise, with many aldermen complaining Evans wasn’t communicating proactively.

The proposed budget for CDA at O'Hare and Midway are $1.14 billion (up 8.3%) and $258.8 million (down 5.29%), respectively. 

Attendance: Joe Moreno (1), Pat Dowell (3), Leslie Hairston (5), Roderick Sawyer (6), Michelle Harris (8), Anthony Beale (9), Sue Sadlowski Garza (10), Patrick Daley Thompson (11), George Cardenas (12), Raymond Lopez (15), David Moore (17), Matt O’Shea (19), Willie Cochran (20), Ald. Howard Brookins (21), Ricardo Munoz (22), Michael Zalewski (23), Michael Scott Jr. (24), Jason Ervin (28), Ariel Reboyras (30), Milly Santiago (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Carrie Austin (34), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nicholas Sposato (38), Marge Laurino (39) Anthony Napolitano (41), Brendan Reilly (42), Tom Tunney (44), John Arena (45), Ameya Pawar (47), Joe Moore (49)

Submitted written testimony. 

The roughly 3 hour meeting focused mostly on the intricacies of the RFP process for O’Hare’s modernization program, and on changes to flight patterns and how that would affect noise.

Ald. Marge Laurino (39), a northwest side alderman, echoed a popular refrain from airport noise complainers, “I didn’t move next to O’Hare airport, O’Hare airport moved next to me,” she said, asking what steps Evans was taking to give simple, clear answers about the airport’s new runway configuration.

“I am personally meeting with ONCC [the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission]... we have also increased the amount of data we’re disclosing,” Evans said, “but we’re almost burying people in numbers.” She says CDA should distill, analyse, and simplify that data, including expanding the use of single page white papers to explain existing and upcoming changes. A night time noise pattern agreement is also in the works with surrounding communities, she says. 

Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41), whose ward encompasses O’Hare, backed Laurino up, as would be expected. But Evans seemed caught off guard by Ald. Leslie Hairston (5) and Ald. Willie Cochran (20), who said their South Side wards were also being impacted by airplane noise, and weren’t getting the kind of attention from CDA that North Siders were. “You’re the commissioner! All I know is when I’m impacted… I should not have to sit up here and guess,” which airport the noise is coming from, Hairston said.

Aldermen had several questions about whether CDA was reaching out to minority aldermen about upcoming requests for proposals during multi-million dollar upgrades at both airports. Evans said there have been briefings with all aldermen before and during the development of recent RFP, and held a “speed dating” networking event for contractors. Evans also singled out Tiffany Green as a contact. Green is Deputy Commissioner of Concession for CDA, and is responsible for the accounting, auditing, and contract compliance for concessionaires, including the O'Hare Modernization program.

Ald. Pat Dowell (3) called minority hiring in top management dismal. “You can do a better job than that, commissioner.”

Evans agreed, “It’s something that I’ve held as a high core value throughout my career… We really need minority and women in leadership positions in order to attract that young talent that we need to be successful--”

Dowell interrupted, “I will be here next year, and I’m going to be looking at this next year.”

Black aldermen in particular expressed disappointment that minority and women owned businesses were getting “crumbs” in the bid processes at both airports. Minorities make up 35% of the contract spend at both airports, according to CDA numbers. Ald. Beale called for the unbundling of big contracts, and Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) reiterated that an ordinance regulating a minimum for W/MBEs, “the goals that are set in the ordinance are the floor, not the ceiling. We should encourage vendors... that they should be more reflective of constituents.”

Aldermen also asked about how security will be handled when rideshare vehicles will be allowed to pick up from airports on January 1. “We will provide a separate staging facility for the rideshare drivers, separate from our taxicab staging facility, and then basically we will manage the curbside so those two services are basically physically separate.”   

Some facts and figures from CDA:

• The much-hyped airport rapid transit solution could come from CDA in 8-10 months. Evans says it requires significant coordination with Metra and CTA.

• CDA insulated more than 19,000 homes and 164 schools to protect against airport noise.

• The Midway Terminal Modernization touted by Evans and Mayor Emanuel will cost $248 million and create 1,700 new jobs. The bid will be proposed to City Council in 2016.

• While many aldermen said CDA should focus on minority hiring, few mentioned the domination of male employees department-wide, which CDA estimates is 79%. There are similar numbers among upper management and new hires (81 and 82% respectively). 6 out of 7 interns, however, are female.

The biggest news from yesterday’s education hearing was not what the committee did, but what it didn’t: Exercising the chair’s prerogative, Education Chair Will Burns(4) chose not to advance two resolutions from committee expressing a sense of the Council to the Board of Education and the Chicago City Colleges.

Attendance (committee members bolded): Chair Will Burns (4), Vice Chair Michele Smith (43), Pat Dowell (3), Roderick Sawyer (6), Anthony Beale (9), Sue Sadlowski Garza (10), Matt O'Shea (19), Jason Ervin (28), Scott Waguespack (32), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Nicholas Sposato (38), Harry Osterman (48), Joe Moore (49)

The first resolution, co-sponsored by 42 aldermen, calls upon the Board of Educationand the Illinois State Board of Education to halt creation of new charter schools in Chicago for the 2015-2016 school year. Because the Chicago City Council has no regulatory or budget oversight over the Board of Education, the resolution would be non-binding and would not require any action or response from the board.

Asked by DNA Info for comment, Chair Burns would only say, “he has been a ‘consistent’ supporter of ‘school choice.’”

The second resolution to be bottled up in committee was an effort by an organization of adjunct professors, the City Colleges Contingent Labor Organizing Committee, for Council to express support for adjunct professors in Chicago City Colleges to receive pay equitable with full-time professors. After hearing about a half hour of testimony, Burns indicated, “We’re going to hold this resolution here but I think your testimony was very powerful.” No vote.

When asked by Aldertrack if he had any plans to call it for a vote, Burns said, “Not at this point, they’re in the middle of their contract negotiations, I think it’s important for them to get their story out. That’s the first step.”

Testimony on another resolution, similar to the City Colleges adjuncts, but in support of private school adjunct professors, was also heard yesterday and voted out of committee. That effort, led by SEIU Local 73, is part of an effort to organize adjunct professors at a number of Chicago’s private colleges and universities.