Committee on Budget and Government Operations meeting, September 12, 2023
- When: Tue, Sep 12, 2023, 2:00 PM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Budget and Government Operations
- Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8925576/video/863674579
- Transcript: full text (12,167 words, official captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The Committee on Budget and Government Operations met on September 12, 2023, approved its July report, and considered a substitute amendment to the 2023 annual appropriation ordinance for grant Fund 925 covering grants to the Mayor's Office, DCASE, the Department of Public Health, DFSS and the Police Department. Much of the discussion centered on a $33 million federal shelter and services grant for migrants, with members asking for itemized spending, shelter locations, vendors and the use of earlier migrant funding, and debating how funding for asylum seekers compares with support for people already experiencing homelessness in Chicago. Members also asked about a mayoral homelessness position, the Chicago Monuments Project, police virtual reality training simulators and tourism marketing. Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez moved to divide the question to vote on the $33 million separately; a motion to table that motion passed on a roll call announced as 23 yes and 6 no, and the substitute ordinance then passed by voice vote. The chair also asked members for feedback on topics for the upcoming budget hearings.
Topics: Fund 925 grant appropriations, migrant shelter funding, homelessness services, FEMA shelter and services grant, police training simulators, Chicago Monuments Project, public health grants, spending transparency, budget hearings
Agenda items discussed
- 6:33 Approval of the July committee report: passed
- 7:05 2023 annual appropriation ordinance amendment within Fund 925 (substitute): passed
- 19:44 Motion to divide the question to vote separately on the $33 million Homeland Security shelter grant: failed
- 1:23:40 Motion to table the motion to divide the question: passed
- 1:27:46 Topics and survey for the upcoming budget hearings: discussed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson): Moved to divide the question to separate the $33 million grant from the rest of the substitute ordinance, saying it warranted a fuller conversation. (19:44); Asked whether the $5 million police training grant is separate from an earlier simulator grant and requested salary information for grant-funded positions. (23:33); Asked for the itemized expenditures of the $33 million federal migrant grant and the time periods covered. (24:47)
- Nicholas Sposato (alderperson): Asked how the police virtual reality training technology works and suggested inviting council members and City Hall staff to try it. (44:31); Said he supports the $33 million but requested an itemized list of shelter locations and how much each has been allocated. (47:14)
- David H. Moore (alderperson): Thanked the Police Department for itemizing its request and asked whether the $3.57 million emergency transitional housing grant could serve asylum seekers. (30:42)
- Andre Vasquez Jr. (alderperson): Expressed appreciation for funding but asked the administration to press the federal government for more equitable funding for unhoused residents, noting shelters are near 98 percent capacity. (36:19); Asked whether the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial is funded through the Mellon Foundation grant. (37:18); Requested line-item accounting of migrant spending since June, saying the reported figures did not appear to add up and transparency was needed. (37:52)
- Daniel La Spata (alderperson): Asked DCASE about the timeline of the Chicago Monuments Project grant and how it would engage alderpersons and communities. (39:48); Asked how alderpersons can help DFSS find space for additional shelter beds and what size facilities are sought. (41:51); Said he hoped citizenship would not be viewed as an eligibility criterion for emergency shelter in Chicago. (43:59)
- Gregory I. Mitchell (alderperson): Asked that the requested spending information go back to September of the previous year rather than June. (53:47); Said detailed line items, including shelter addresses, bed counts and vendors, should be provided without members having to ask, possibly through an ordinance. (54:33); Said that if the $33 million is explicitly for non-citizens, the $3.5 million transitional housing grant should explicitly state it is for U.S. citizens experiencing homelessness. (58:16)
- Samantha Nugent (alderperson): Asked to confirm the homelessness position grant funds one position at about $225,000 annually including benefits. (1:07:11); Asked whether the public health preparedness grant is pass-through funding and said she supports these programs. (1:08:20); Asked whether the city applied for the federal migrant funds and requested information on funding received by the five most comparable cities. (1:09:08)
- Walter R. Burnett (alderperson): Called the $33 million a drop in the bucket and said the city needs more federal money while also balancing help for homeless residents, including veterans, waiting for housing. (1:13:18); Asked why space and rehab funding provided for migrants cannot also be provided to unhoused residents living in tents and under viaducts. (1:14:45)
- Ronnie L. Mosley (alderperson): Asked how grant applications for homelessness services for residents compare with efforts around migrant shelters. (1:16:32); Requested a written narrative through the chair on homelessness work so members can counter the perception that housing is only being provided to migrants. (1:20:31)
Exchanges between members
- 19:36 Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez noted it was Alderperson Nicholas Sposato first day on the Budget Committee.
- 37:48 Alderperson Andre Vasquez Jr. thanked Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez for his questions about migrant funding.
- 53:56 Alderperson Gregory I. Mitchell built on Alderperson Andre Vasquez Jr. request for spending information, asking that it extend back to September of the previous year.
- 54:49 Alderperson Gregory I. Mitchell cited Alderperson Nicholas Sposato request for shelter locations as an example of detail that should be provided.
- 56:25 Alderperson Andre Vasquez Jr. said his request matched Alderperson Gregory I. Mitchell call for line-item detail.