Committee on Budget and Government Operations meeting, October 25, 2023

• When: Wed, Oct 25, 2023, 10:00 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
• Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8925576/video/877690909
• Transcript: full text (68,467 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 held 2024 budget hearings for the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, the Commission on Human Relations, Chicago Animal Care and Control, and the Department of Buildings, after a public comment period in which several speakers addressed conditions at Animal Care and Control, contracting equity and police accountability. Members asked about the home modification backlog, accessibility of public meetings and captioning, support and stipends for police district councils, a pending police policy on membership in extremist organizations, hate crime reporting and staffing at the Commission on Human Relations, shelter euthanasia and capacity, and building inspections, vacancies, demolitions and permitting technology. Many members requested follow-up information through the Chair, and the Chair invited departments to submit requests for budget adjustments during the amendment process. No votes were taken; the committee recessed until the next morning.

Topics: 2024 budget hearings, disability access, police district councils, police accountability policy, hate crimes, animal shelter capacity, building inspections, department vacancies, vacant and abandoned buildings, permitting technology

Agenda items discussed

• 6:21 Public comment: discussed
• 35:27 2024 budget hearing: Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities: discussed
• 2:16:11 2024 budget hearing: Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability: discussed
• 4:31:43 2024 budget hearing: Commission on Human Relations: discussed
• 5:44:15 2024 budget hearing: Chicago Animal Care and Control: discussed
• 6:36:16 2024 budget hearing: Department of Buildings: discussed

Alderpersons who spoke

• Jason C. Ervin (chair): Asked MOPD about the cost of vertical lifts and whether there is a backlog of residents waiting for home modifications. (54:03); Asked whether the commissioner would object to shifting one-time COVID relief funds to reduce the vertical lift backlog. (59:49); Asked what services delegate agencies would provide with a $250,000 increase in MOPD's corporate fund contractual services. (1:00:57)
• Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Asked whether communication access real-time translation could be provided for all city meetings given inaccurate closed captions. (1:15:55); Described accessibility changes in her own ward communications and asked what resources MOPD provides to aldermanic offices. (1:20:47); Asked whether a disability review process is being added for new housing construction at the Department of Housing. (1:46:30)
• Daniel La Spata (alderperson): Asked COFA to reconcile MOPD personnel and contractual figures in the budget book with the presentation chart. (38:25); Said closed captioning of the hearing was missing or inaccurate much of the time and called it unacceptable. (1:23:31); Asked how MOPD determined its number of ASL interpreters and when public meetings receive interpretation. (1:24:12)
• Brendan Reilly (alderperson): Requested a list of MOPD delegate agencies, funding amounts and services provided. (1:06:10); Said he was disappointed that home modification funding is essentially flat and asked the budget office to find other COVID funds for the backlog. (1:06:43); Asked whether MOPD's seven vacancies are being filled. (1:10:49)
• Byron Sigcho-López (alderperson): Asked whether the budget provides resources and contractors to make public meetings fully accessible. (1:29:46); Asked how the Housing Committee can help ensure adequate funding for the home modification program. (1:31:38); Asked how the council can push CPS, CTA and CHA to improve accessibility infrastructure. (1:33:24)
• Samantha Nugent (alderperson): Thanked MOPD for visiting Northside Learning Center and said she will advocate for more funding for the school's capacity needs. (1:36:15)
• Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (alderperson): Asked how MOPD works with the Park District on lakefront and beach accessibility. (1:37:41); Asked how new alders can use ward funds to make sidewalks safe for residents using wheelchairs and assistive devices. (1:39:25); Asked MOPD about its work on accessibility in the arts. (1:42:17)
• Maria E. Hadden (alderperson): Asked where funding for emergency transportation of mobility devices sits and when the RFP will be issued. (1:50:53); Asked MOPD to evaluate and recommend improvements to communications accessibility for city bodies including the council. (1:53:14); Asked whether MOPD works with AIS to make ward offices physically accessible and suggested the Law Department weigh liability. (1:57:30)
• Andre Vasquez Jr. (alderperson): Asked about MOPD's experience with the LanguageLine contractor as the council reviews language access. (1:59:19); Asked MOPD to join a language access working group being formed. (2:01:21); Asked how the city rates as an employer of people with disabilities. (2:04:21)
• Chris Taliaferro (alderperson): Asked whether MOPD offers residents resources for learning American Sign Language and noted his own hearing loss. (2:08:43); Praised CCPSA's superintendent selection process. (2:25:46); Asked whether CCPSA has started a policy barring officers from membership in hate organizations, as recommended by the Inspector General. (2:26:49)
• Bennett R. Lawson (alderperson): Recognized retiring MOPD staffer Lori Dittman and her role in passing the city's first human rights ordinance. (2:10:49); Asked whether partner agencies for the hate crime reporting pilot have been identified. (5:19:31); Requested hate crime prosecution numbers and asked about crimes against the trans community. (5:21:19)
• Monique L. Scott (alderperson): Asked how much training district councilors received and whether the budget includes more. (2:40:29); Said many district councilors do not understand their role and described an issue in her district. (2:43:43); Asked the Department of Buildings what plan it has to address abandoned buildings. (7:05:21)
• Desmon C. Yancy (alderperson): Asked CCPSA about its staffing and staffing plan in the new budget. (2:47:06); Asked whether the submitted staffing plan meets the commission's needs. (2:49:55); Asked how the commission measures success beyond the superintendent search. (2:51:08)
• Gilbert Villegas (alderperson): Asked for a commitment that future police board appointments will include Latino representation. (3:03:47); Asked what district councilors are doing to improve public safety. (3:04:53); Requested the number of buildings awaiting demolition and asked about the IT automation timeline. (6:47:34)
• Michael D. Rodriguez (alderperson): Reviewed CCPSA's statutory requirements and said the commission has met them while stating it can do better. (3:15:55)
• Matthew J. O'Shea (alderperson): Asked the total cost of the superintendent search and said it was well worth it. (4:04:46); Asked what CCPSA can do to identify and remove officers involved with the Oath Keepers or other hate organizations. (4:06:26); Asked what more can be done to support officer mental wellness. (4:09:35)
• Ronnie L. Mosley (alderperson): Asked CCPSA what lessons it learned about bridging the gap between community and police. (4:23:03); Asked how alders can support district councils and get their meeting schedules. (4:26:45); Asked how to expedite penalties and court cases for long-vacant properties. (7:42:40)
• Debra L. Silverstein (alderperson): Asked whether the Commission on Human Relations has seen an increase in hate crimes given current world tensions. (4:41:32); Noted her proposed Chi vs. Hate ordinance adds hate incidents and asked about recent incident calls. (4:43:36); Said hate incidents should be on the books so there is one place to report and track them. (4:48:47)
• Michelle A. Harris (alderperson): Asked the Commission on Human Relations to return for a broader conversation on hate-related issues with the mayor's office. (5:17:38); Said opossums and raccoons are a major problem in her ward and called for a citywide approach. (6:30:33); Asked about the demolition budget and said more money may be needed for problem properties. (6:58:43)
• Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson): Described an animal crisis in the city and urged expanding mobile spay and neuter clinics in veterinary deserts. (6:07:13); Asked about the long-vacant supervising veterinarian position and a pipeline with veterinary schools. (6:10:15); Asked about body armor and body cameras for animal control officers. (6:20:29)
• Walter R. Burnett (alderperson): Said constituents receive conflicting requirements from different building inspectors and asked for more consistency. (6:55:49)
• Lamont J. Robinson (alderperson): Said onboarding small businesses is daunting and asked the department to replicate a deputy commissioner's hands-on help. (7:39:35)
• Stephanie D. Coleman (alderperson): Asked about the average timeline for demolitions. (7:56:08); Asked what improvements are planned to make permitting more efficient. (7:56:48); Raised illegal gut rehabs and fly dumping in her area and asked about raising fines. (7:58:39)
• Gregory I. Mitchell (alderperson): Asked how multi-unit properties with illegal units are being sold. (8:04:22); Asked what the city can do about properties shut down years ago that owners never return to fix. (8:06:47); Asked whether a true demolition list exists, noting developers ask alders for one. (8:08:52)

Exchanges between members

• 1:15:15 The Chair echoed Alderperson Brendan Reilly point about the MOPD position reclassification.
• 1:23:27 La Spata spoke in support of the point Lee made about closed captioning.
• 1:41:08 Manaa-Hoppenworth referenced Reilly's staffing question and said she noticed the same numbers.
• 1:59:17 Vasquez thanked Hadden before beginning his questions.
• 2:40:09 Scott echoed Taliaferro's praise of the superintendent selection process.
• 2:45:14 The Chair suggested Scott hold an offline conversation with CCPSA leadership about her district's specific situation.
• 2:49:50 Yancy said the Chair's pushback on staffing matched the question he planned to ask next.
• 4:14:42 Manaa-Hoppenworth gave a shout out to Yancy for his work on the ordinance creating the commission.
• 4:21:43 Manaa-Hoppenworth cited Villegas's earlier point that most issues raised relate to public safety.
• 4:54:04 Silverstein added a point of information to Lee's question that police would also be involved in outreach under the proposed ordinance.
• 5:15:39 Lee, presiding, asked Sigcho-López to move on, saying his questions about the federal government were not budget questions.
• 5:15:42 Sigcho-López objected to being asked to move on and said the topic was urgent.
• 5:19:10 Lee thanked Harris after her remarks.
• 5:32:36 Hadden joined Silverstein and others in asking the commission what additional positions it needs.
• 5:58:01 Hadden said she agreed with Reilly's comments on Animal Care and Control funding.
• 6:07:45 Lopez responded to Lawson's backyard breeding question, saying a related proposal is coming forward.
• 6:21:05 Lopez built on Lee's point about safety risks to animal control officers when asking about body cameras.
• 6:30:27 Harris said ditto to the Chair's comments about urban wildlife.
• 7:18:01 Lawson echoed Vasquez's comments about streamlining ADU permitting.
• 8:06:47 Mitchell piggybacked on Coleman's question about properties lacking proper permits.

Documents

• Agenda
• Notice