Committee on Budget and Government Operations meeting, November 13, 2025

When: Thu, Nov 13, 2025, 9:30 AM (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=1136263723
Transcript: full text (85,679 words, automatic captions)

Video chapters

15:41 Public comment
52:03 Budget hearing: Department of Administrative Hearings
1:05:45 Raymond A. Lopez: Asked what it would cost the city to provide legal representation or support to people…
1:10:57 Raymond A. Lopez: Said outdated fines and fees identified in the Ernst & Young report could be updated to…
1:15:17 Nicole T. Lee: Asked where the roughly $170,000 reduction in the Administrative Hearings budget would fall.
1:16:29 Nicole T. Lee: Asked how Smart Streets camera violations are being adjudicated and what defenses are accepted.
1:20:00 Nicole T. Lee: Asked for case data by ward and how hearing trends could inform policy changes beyond fines.
1:21:43 Scott Waguespack: Asked for dismissal rates at administrative hearings, including the range across…
1:24:26 Scott Waguespack: Asked about human resources staffing and operational efficiencies in light of the Ernst &…
1:27:43 Raymond A. Lopez: Asked about allowing verified Smart 311 users to submit photo evidence of parking…
1:31:19 Jason C. Ervin: Said departments are moving toward compliance over punishment and that members want a mix of…
1:38:12 Budget hearing: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners
1:48:52 Nicholas Sposato: Asked how student election judges are paid and whether they are excused from school.
1:51:01 Emma Mitts: Asked the new Board of Elections director what changes she plans, including new voting equipment.
1:52:21 Emma Mitts: Asked how early voting is being promoted and requested printed materials for seniors.
1:54:28 Emma Mitts: Asked that election judges be trained to let seniors and people with disabilities sit while…
2:11:24 Daniel La Spata: Asked why Board of Elections contractual services rise from $10.4 million in 2024 to $17.8…
2:17:01 Daniel La Spata: Said consolidating precincts into single buildings may meet the letter but not the spirit…
2:18:38 Byron Sigcho-López: Said his office had not received timely responses from the Board of Elections on…
2:21:48 William Conway: Asked what is driving large swings in Board of Elections professional and contractual…
2:24:26 William Conway: Said the explanation that a one-time e-poll book purchase drove the changes made sense.
2:26:07 Anthony J. Quezada: Asked about past threats to election safety and the board's safety plans for the 2026…
2:28:13 Anthony J. Quezada: Asked whether election security involves the Cook County Sheriff and Illinois State…
2:30:10 Anthony J. Quezada: Urged the board to review procedures in case federal agents enter polling places, citing…
2:31:51 Lamont J. Robinson: Said he had not received a call from the new Board of Elections executive director and…
2:33:58 Lamont J. Robinson: Asked how executive directors are hired or let go, noting the council was not told the…
2:37:18 Lamont J. Robinson: Said that because the city funds the board, the council should be informed about…
2:40:00 Pat Dowell: Asked for the county's share of the Board of Elections budget and a unified budget.
2:40:40 Pat Dowell: Said election materials and poll worker recruitment should include languages used by the African…
2:41:37 Pat Dowell: Asked why election judges wait four to six weeks to be paid.
2:46:07 Marty Quinn: Said local school councils are concerned about safety when schools are used as polling places…
2:50:11 Marty Quinn: Suggested exploring an additional early voting site per ward.
2:52:35 Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Said her ward has long Election Day lines and asked how alderpersons should work…
2:56:21 Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Asked whether the board sees voter turnout as part of its responsibility and how it…
4:14:21 Budget hearing: Chicago Animal Care and Control
4:32:14 Marty Quinn: Said it is embarrassing that a 34-year city employee has held an acting director title for…
4:49:13 Derrick G. Curtis: Said residents were turned away from his pet vaccination events and asked how capacity…
4:51:39 Derrick G. Curtis: Asked about help for seniors with raccoons or possums in their homes and what counts as…
4:54:25 Derrick G. Curtis: Asked whether people feeding large numbers of stray cats should be cited.
4:57:12 Bennett R. Lawson: Asked about Animal Care and Control vacancies and the length of the hiring process.
4:57:49 Bennett R. Lawson: Asked how many people take part in the re-entry jobs training program and who pays for it.
5:00:51 Bennett R. Lawson: Said departments have relied on acting directors for too long and that it is unfair to…
5:02:22 Scott Waguespack: Said volunteers want bureaucracy reduced and asked what Animal Care and Control tells the…
5:13:00 Nicholas Sposato: Said the Animal Care and Control director has been acting for three years and the city…
5:14:07 Nicholas Sposato: Encouraged colleagues to promote donation drives and adoptable animals for Animal Care and…
5:17:05 Jason C. Ervin: Told Alderperson Jessica L. Fuentes it was not a fair question to ask the acting director on…
5:17:24 Jessica L. Fuentes: Asked what marketing and adoption efforts Animal Care and Control plans for 2026 given…
5:20:04 Jessica L. Fuentes: Said she had asked that Animal Care and Control vacancies be exempt from the hiring…
5:20:55 Jessica L. Fuentes: Asked why there is no funded medical division manager and how those duties are covered.
5:36:07 Budget hearing: Department of Law
6:32:23 David H. Moore: Thanked the Corporation Counsel for keeping alderpersons informed.
6:33:22 David H. Moore: Asked for actual numbers behind the law clerk diversity percentage and the collections…
6:38:16 David H. Moore: Asked whether the city recovers legal fees or other money in its lawsuits against the…
6:45:43 Brendan Reilly: Asked how conflicts of interest are handled when outside law firm attorneys serve as…
6:48:37 Brendan Reilly: Asked about the lag between ward superintendent tickets and their delivery to violators.
6:51:29 Brendan Reilly: Asked whether federal action on hemp products and legal challenges to the social media tax…
7:04:57 Matthew J. O'Shea: Commended the Law Department for cutting nuisance ticket processing time to about 30 days.
7:05:33 Matthew J. O'Shea: Asked whether other cities have a social media tax and whether it would survive a…
7:09:22 Samantha Nugent: Asked whether other parties, such as the State's Attorney, could share the cost of…
7:11:01 Samantha Nugent: Raised city liability in police pursuit crashes where officers ended a pursuit and asked…
7:30:09 Matthew J. Martin: Asked whether the settlements line item, unchanged for years, should be revisited.
7:32:08 Matthew J. Martin: Asked whether the hiring freeze affects the Law Department.
7:46:24 Byron Sigcho-López: Asked about the Law Department's federal litigation and recovering costs from federal…
7:51:48 Byron Sigcho-López: Raised concerns about harm to children during federal enforcement and asked the Law…
7:56:53 Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Asked for liability data by department and what resources are speeding resolution of…
8:06:16 Jason C. Ervin: Asked the Corporation Counsel about her role, the use of outside counsel and how reliance on…
8:28:26 Budget hearing: Office of Budget and Management, CFO and Comptroller on revenue, bond and management…
9:42:39 Matthew J. O'Shea: Asked whether the head tax threshold will stay at 200 employees and how many businesses…
9:51:04 Samantha Nugent: Asked about the personal property lease tax figures, bond repayment sources and changes to…
10:15:10 Matthew J. Martin: Requested the mayor's written ask to state leaders and a list of Ernst & Young items to…
10:56:59 Walter R. Burnett: Asked about positions eliminated in the budget and noted services would still be affected.
10:57:30 Walter R. Burnett: Asked when capital bonds begin accruing interest and how debt funding compares with past…
11:00:29 Walter R. Burnett: Asked how long bonds take to be paid off and requested a repayment schedule.
11:14:28 Stephanie D. Coleman: Asked what the alternative would be if the budget package is not accepted.
11:20:14 Felix Cardona Jr.: Asked for each department's cuts and efficiencies before the Monday vote.

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.

On the final day of 2026 departmental budget hearings, the Committee on Budget and Government Operations heard 14 public commenters, most of them speaking about funding for Chicago Animal Care and Control or in support of the mayor's proposed budget. The committee then questioned the Department of Administrative Hearings, the Board of Election Commissioners, Animal Care and Control, and the Department of Law. Members asked about case data and dismissal rates, communication from the new Board of Elections executive director, contractor diversity, polling place accessibility and safety, the Animal Care and Control director's long-running acting status, outside counsel spending, settlements, and risk management. In an evening session, the Office of Budget and Management, the CFO and the Comptroller presented the revenue, bond and management ordinances, and members raised concerns about the community safety surcharge (head tax), the personal property lease tax, new borrowing, settlement financing, fund balance, Ernst & Young efficiency recommendations, and changes to the CARE program; several members said they were not ready to vote the following Monday. No votes were taken on the budget, and the hearing adjourned.

Topics: 2026 budget hearings, Animal Care and Control, Board of Elections, Administrative Hearings, Department of Law, Head tax, Bond ordinances, Settlements and judgments, Ernst & Young report, CARE mental health program

Agenda items discussed

15:41 Public comment: discussed
52:03 Budget hearing: Department of Administrative Hearings: discussed
1:38:12 Budget hearing: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners: discussed
4:14:21 Budget hearing: Chicago Animal Care and Control: discussed
5:36:07 Budget hearing: Department of Law: discussed
8:28:26 Budget hearing: Office of Budget and Management, CFO and Comptroller on revenue, bond and management ordinances: discussed
11:28:40 Motion to adjourn: passed

Alderpersons who spoke

Jason C. Ervin (chair): Said departments are moving toward compliance over punishment and that members want a mix of compliance and deterrence in administrative hearings. (1:31:19); Told Alderperson Jessica L. Fuentes it was not a fair question to ask the acting director on the record whether she wants the permanent job and directed her not to answer. (5:17:05); Asked the Corporation Counsel about her role, the use of outside counsel and how reliance on outside counsel is changing. (8:06:16)
Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Asked where the roughly $170,000 reduction in the Administrative Hearings budget would fall. (1:15:17); Asked how Smart Streets camera violations are being adjudicated and what defenses are accepted. (1:16:29); Asked for case data by ward and how hearing trends could inform policy changes beyond fines. (1:20:00)
Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson): Asked what it would cost the city to provide legal representation or support to people appearing at administrative hearings. (1:05:45); Said outdated fines and fees identified in the Ernst & Young report could be updated to raise more revenue. (1:10:57); Asked about allowing verified Smart 311 users to submit photo evidence of parking violations for adjudication. (1:27:43)
William Conway (alderperson): Asked what is driving large swings in Board of Elections professional and contractual services spending. (2:21:48); Said the explanation that a one-time e-poll book purchase drove the changes made sense. (2:24:26)
Scott Waguespack (alderperson): Asked for dismissal rates at administrative hearings, including the range across individual judges. (1:21:43); Asked about human resources staffing and operational efficiencies in light of the Ernst & Young report. (1:24:26); Said volunteers want bureaucracy reduced and asked what Animal Care and Control tells the budget office about process changes. (5:02:22)
Nicholas Sposato (alderperson): Asked how student election judges are paid and whether they are excused from school. (1:48:52); Said the Animal Care and Control director has been acting for three years and the city needs to resolve it and also hire a deputy. (5:13:00); Encouraged colleagues to promote donation drives and adoptable animals for Animal Care and Control. (5:14:07)
Emma Mitts (alderperson): Asked the new Board of Elections director what changes she plans, including new voting equipment. (1:51:01); Asked how early voting is being promoted and requested printed materials for seniors. (1:52:21); Asked that election judges be trained to let seniors and people with disabilities sit while waiting in line. (1:54:28)
Daniel La Spata (alderperson): Asked why Board of Elections contractual services rise from $10.4 million in 2024 to $17.8 million in 2026, including legal, software and rent lines. (2:11:24); Said consolidating precincts into single buildings may meet the letter but not the spirit of accessibility and suggested accessibility retrofit grants. (2:17:01)
Byron Sigcho-López (alderperson): Said his office had not received timely responses from the Board of Elections on accessibility and election integrity concerns. (2:18:38); Asked about the Law Department's federal litigation and recovering costs from federal immigration enforcement activity in the city. (7:46:24); Raised concerns about harm to children during federal enforcement and asked the Law Department to review council resolutions on child endangerment. (7:51:48)
Anthony J. Quezada (alderperson): Asked about past threats to election safety and the board's safety plans for the 2026 elections. (2:26:07); Asked whether election security involves the Cook County Sheriff and Illinois State Police in addition to CPD. (2:28:13); Urged the board to review procedures in case federal agents enter polling places, citing concerns about racial profiling. (2:30:10)
Lamont J. Robinson (alderperson): Said he had not received a call from the new Board of Elections executive director and asked about her background. (2:31:51); Asked how executive directors are hired or let go, noting the council was not told the previous director had left. (2:33:58); Said that because the city funds the board, the council should be informed about leadership changes. (2:37:18)
Pat Dowell (alderperson): Asked for the county's share of the Board of Elections budget and a unified budget. (2:40:00); Said election materials and poll worker recruitment should include languages used by the African diaspora, such as Haitian Creole, French, Wolof or Swahili. (2:40:40); Asked why election judges wait four to six weeks to be paid. (2:41:37)
Marty Quinn (alderperson): Said local school councils are concerned about safety when schools are used as polling places and asked about closing schools on election days. (2:46:07); Suggested exploring an additional early voting site per ward. (2:50:11); Said it is embarrassing that a 34-year city employee has held an acting director title for three years. (4:32:14)
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (alderperson): Said her ward has long Election Day lines and asked how alderpersons should work with the board on such issues. (2:52:35); Asked whether the board sees voter turnout as part of its responsibility and how it will increase turnout. (2:56:21); Asked for liability data by department and what resources are speeding resolution of police misconduct cases. (7:56:53)
Derrick G. Curtis (alderperson): Said residents were turned away from his pet vaccination events and asked how capacity could increase. (4:49:13); Asked about help for seniors with raccoons or possums in their homes and what counts as living quarters. (4:51:39); Asked whether people feeding large numbers of stray cats should be cited. (4:54:25)
Bennett R. Lawson (alderperson): Asked about Animal Care and Control vacancies and the length of the hiring process. (4:57:12); Asked how many people take part in the re-entry jobs training program and who pays for it. (4:57:49); Said departments have relied on acting directors for too long and that it is unfair to staff. (5:00:51)
Jessica L. Fuentes (alderperson): Asked what marketing and adoption efforts Animal Care and Control plans for 2026 given flat operating funds. (5:17:24); Said she had asked that Animal Care and Control vacancies be exempt from the hiring freeze and would follow up. (5:20:04); Asked why there is no funded medical division manager and how those duties are covered. (5:20:55)
David H. Moore (alderperson): Thanked the Corporation Counsel for keeping alderpersons informed. (6:32:23); Asked for actual numbers behind the law clerk diversity percentage and the collections figures. (6:33:22); Asked whether the city recovers legal fees or other money in its lawsuits against the federal government. (6:38:16)
Brendan Reilly (alderperson): Asked how conflicts of interest are handled when outside law firm attorneys serve as administrative hearing officers. (6:45:43); Asked about the lag between ward superintendent tickets and their delivery to violators. (6:48:37); Asked whether federal action on hemp products and legal challenges to the social media tax threaten proposed revenue. (6:51:29)
Matthew J. O'Shea (alderperson): Commended the Law Department for cutting nuisance ticket processing time to about 30 days. (7:04:57); Asked whether other cities have a social media tax and whether it would survive a challenge. (7:05:33); Asked whether the head tax threshold will stay at 200 employees and how many businesses and employees it covers. (9:42:39)
Samantha Nugent (alderperson): Asked whether other parties, such as the State's Attorney, could share the cost of certificate of innocence settlements. (7:09:22); Raised city liability in police pursuit crashes where officers ended a pursuit and asked about legislative fixes. (7:11:01); Asked about the personal property lease tax figures, bond repayment sources and changes to the TIF surplus. (9:51:04)
Matthew J. Martin (alderperson): Asked whether the settlements line item, unchanged for years, should be revisited. (7:30:09); Asked whether the hiring freeze affects the Law Department. (7:32:08); Requested the mayor's written ask to state leaders and a list of Ernst & Young items to be implemented, before Monday. (10:15:10)
Walter R. Burnett (alderperson): Asked about positions eliminated in the budget and noted services would still be affected. (10:56:59); Asked when capital bonds begin accruing interest and how debt funding compares with past capital plans. (10:57:30); Asked how long bonds take to be paid off and requested a repayment schedule. (11:00:29)
Stephanie D. Coleman (alderperson): Asked what the alternative would be if the budget package is not accepted. (11:14:28)
Felix Cardona Jr. (alderperson): Asked for each department's cuts and efficiencies before the Monday vote. (11:20:14)

Exchanges between members

1:20:00 Lee added to Lopez's through-the-chair request for case data, asking for a ward breakdown.
2:06:31 Lopez followed up on his colleague from the 37th Ward's question about ADA compliance at polling places.
2:17:01 La Spata said his accessibility question related to Lopez's earlier question.
2:21:48 Conway said his questions on Board of Elections spending were the same as La Spata's and added to them.
2:38:17 Lee backed Robinson's point about communication from the Board of Elections.
2:39:06 Robinson responded to Lee that she was redirecting his point.
2:45:22 Lee agreed with Mitts that the board should communicate realistic payment timelines to election judges.
2:51:35 Lee echoed Quinn's concerns about school safety at polling places.
4:32:06 Quinn picked up where Lopez left off on the acting director's title.
5:17:05 Ervin told Fuentes her question to the acting director was not fair and directed the witness not to answer.
7:36:03 Waguespack returned to the liability issue Nugent had raised.
9:26:09 Ervin clarified to staff what Dowell's fund balance question was asking.
10:10:46 Nugent responded to Ervin that she was not proposing cuts to garbage pickup or potholes but to overlapping functions.
10:12:04 Ervin responded to Nugent that efficiencies alone would not close the gap without service cuts.
10:16:14 Ervin asked Martin to let the budget director finish answering.
10:25:34 Ervin said Martin's point about changes to the CARE program was well taken.
10:30:59 Nugent followed up on Martin's question about settlements.
11:15:35 Lee followed up on Manaa-Hoppenworth's question by asking for all departments' cut scenarios.
11:20:14 Cardona supported Lee's request for each department's cuts.

Documents

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