Committee on Budget and Government Operations meeting, October 23, 2026

• When: Fri, Oct 23, 2026, 11:00 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
• Transcript: full text (30,193 words, automatic 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 held a hearing on the city's financial and strategic reform effort, hearing a presentation from Adam Chepanek of Ernst & Young (EY) and Acting Budget Director Jonathan Ernst on implementation of EY's efficiency recommendations ahead of the FY2027 budget. Members questioned how much of the mayor's claimed savings derives from EY's roughly $10 million in contracts, pressed for details on 14 proposed ordinance changes on special event cost recovery included in the management ordinance, and raised concerns about procurement savings, employee benefits, fees and fines, real estate dispositions, and whether EY is accessible to alderpersons independent of the administration. Public comment included three speakers sharply critical of the mayor, the EY contract, and proposed taxes and fees. No votes on substantive items were taken; the committee adjourned after questions.

Topics: budget, government efficiency and reform, special events cost recovery, procurement, employee benefits, fines and fees, real estate and lease consolidation, fleet management, mayor's FY2027 budget proposal, Ernst & Young contract oversight, public comment

Agenda items discussed

• 36:08 EY financial and strategic reform implementation update (special events, fleet, real estate, organizational analysis, fees and fines): discussed
• 1:03:48 FY2027 budget savings attributable to EY work; 14 ordinance changes on special event cost recovery in the management ordinance: discussed
• 23:59 Public comment: discussed

Alderpersons who spoke

• Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Asked what work is being done on employee benefits and procurement, which EY did not continue into phase two. (1:22:11); Asked how the organizational analysis interacts with the ERP system build. (1:23:17); Voiced concern about the procurement department leading efficiency work, citing a licensing committee meeting the commissioner did not attend. (1:28:35)
• Matthew J. O'Shea (alderperson): Questioned how much of the mayor's $120 million in claimed savings came from EY's work given $10 million paid to the firm. (1:03:55); Complained about lack of detail in last year's EY report and asked when the promised savings would materialize. (1:07:32); Asked whether EY recommended a head tax or higher lease tax like the mayor is proposing. (1:08:48)
• Andre Vasquez Jr. (alderperson): Said he felt rushed and dismayed that members had never been briefed on the 14 ordinances and asked for a summary. (1:10:30); Asked for a one-pager breakdown before budget hearings and a chart comparing EY recommendations to city implementation. (1:15:04); Urged that readjustments to EY estimates be reported publicly so people use current figures. (1:20:28)
• Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson): Interjected with a point of information asking whether the 14 ordinances are all under the cost recovery article of the management ordinance. (1:13:31); Asked who writes the management ordinance and how members are informed of its changes. (1:33:11); Questioned whether EY examined salary and wage increase practices for non-covered employees. (1:33:57)
• Michael D. Rodriguez (alderperson): Cautioned that the $1.5 billion savings figure needs context and warned of unintended consequences for frontline services and staffing. (1:45:30); Stated he does not want to cut union staff and worried cuts to jobs undermine the city's tax base. (1:46:57); Asked whether employee benefits savings come at the expense of the city workforce. (1:52:34)
• Anthony V. Napolitano (alderperson): Asked whether EY operates independently or under administration guidelines when producing its reports. (2:00:00); Questioned the scale of uncollected fines and fees and asked for the total universe the city is missing. (2:05:09); Argued the city should pursue the billions in outstanding unpaid fines and fees rather than only creating new ones. (2:09:04)
• Gilbert Villegas (alderperson): Asked whether EY analyzed the ERP system and its vendor as part of efficiency work. (2:15:11); Asked whether EY considered sale-leaseback or P3 options for the city's real estate portfolio, citing Toronto's approach. (2:16:40)
• Scott Waguespack (alderperson): Questioned why procurement savings realized are only about $10 million versus EY's projected $55-111 million annually. (2:18:13); Questioned $381 million in 'maverick spend' outside procurement and oversight of it. (2:20:25); Noted EY reported 100-plus construction contracts with the largest vendors ended in December 2025 without rebidding for savings. (2:27:11)
• Brendan Reilly (alderperson): Hoped budget committee members would be recognized for questions before non-members during upcoming hearings. (2:33:06); Pressed EY on who its client is and whether aldermen can meet with EY without administration supervision. (2:33:28); Argued the EY spending belongs to the city and its two governing bodies and criticized lack of transparency. (2:36:24)
• William E. Hall (alderperson): Asked about EY recommendations on collection efforts for parking tickets and water debt, and how to read the fines and fees chart. (3:00:09); Confirmed the analysis compared cities on where fees could grow rather than examining collection methods. (3:02:38)
• David H. Moore (alderperson): Asked whether outstanding debt owed to the city can be separated between corporations/municipalities and residents. (3:04:44)
• Samantha Nugent (alderperson): Asked who oversees the EY contract vehicle and signs off on deliverables. (1:43:27)
• Pat Dowell (alderperson)

Exchanges between members

• 2:10:13 Reilly restated and reframed Napolitano's question about the universe of fees and fines for the director, saying Alderman Napolitano was asking whether the 35-fee universe should expand and separating past-due collection as a question for the comptroller.

Documents

• Agenda
• Notice
• Agenda
• Notice

Sources and methods: how we get and count this data · report an error