Committee on Budget and Government Operations meeting, November 12, 2024

When: Tue, Nov 12, 2024, 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/1028037390
Transcript: full text (62,686 words, automatic captions)

Video chapters

8:29 Public comment
20:28 2025 budget hearing: Office of Public Safety Administration
26:23 Pat Dowell: Said OPSA was presented as a cost-saving department but its budget has grown, and asked what…
31:01 Pat Dowell: Asked whether OPSA's client departments are satisfied with its work and requested a written list…
33:44 Pat Dowell: Asked what OPSA has done about how long it takes for officers on medical leave to return to work…
36:13 Jason C. Ervin: Asked whether OPSA actively manages the return to work of employees on medical leave or only…
41:13 Brendan Reilly: Asked about OPSA's 85 carried-over vacancies and how many vacancies were carried from 2023…
43:02 Brendan Reilly: Pointed to line items requested at the same level each year despite much lower actual…
47:23 Brendan Reilly: Said most of OPSA's 2025 initiatives are procurement-related and asked whether efficiencies…
52:42 James M. Gardiner: Drawing on his experience as a former firefighter, explained the medical check-in and…
55:09 Matthew J. O'Shea: Asked how many POD cameras and license plate readers exist citywide and how many will be…
57:48 Matthew J. O'Shea: Said fewer people are joining CPD so the city must rely more on technology, and asked…
1:00:16 Matthew J. O'Shea: Asked how much is budgeted for gunshot detection technology compared with prior years.
1:05:37 Jason C. Ervin: Asked how artificial intelligence could be used to support police and fire technology needs.
1:07:03 Nicole T. Lee: Asked whether OPSA tracks how much time officers spend writing reports.
1:08:18 Nicole T. Lee: Asked what metrics OPSA uses to measure the efficiency of consolidating public safety…
1:13:10 Nicole T. Lee: Asked how many staff work in the help center serving 23,000 public safety employees and…
1:17:11 Raymond A. Lopez: Cited the original projection of savings from creating OPSA and a Better Government…
1:22:16 Raymond A. Lopez: Said OPSA is responsible for fleet, facility and camera maintenance and that failures to…
1:24:48 Raymond A. Lopez: Requested OPSA's list of contracts, grant spending by ward, operational status of cameras…
1:26:00 Daniel La Spata: Asked how persistent timekeeper vacancies are and how many timekeepers are still sworn…
1:27:25 Daniel La Spata: Raised concern that lowering the starting salary for timekeepers could make the positions…
1:31:02 Daniel La Spata: Asked about OPSA's role in consent decree implementation and why that funding is decreasing.
1:36:05 Jason C. Ervin: Questioned why sworn officers assigned to OPSA have not been transitioned back to police…
1:40:09 Felix Cardona Jr.: Asked about an increase in OPSA's purpose-as-specified line from 2024 to 2025.
1:41:25 Felix Cardona Jr.: Asked whether OPSA could cut about 10 percent of its 85 vacancies if further efficiencies…
1:44:00 Byron Sigcho-López: Asked what procurement methods OPSA uses for roughly $28 million in information…
1:49:04 Byron Sigcho-López: Requested information on any city use of predictive policing software and BriefCam and a…
1:50:32 Byron Sigcho-López: Asked whether OPSA has a regular audit program and said audits should inform the council…
1:53:58 Nicholas Sposato: Said CPD is also losing officers to the fire department and that recruiting police is a…
1:54:33 Nicholas Sposato: Asked whether OPSA works with Human Resources on slow police and fire promotion lists,…
1:55:09 Nicholas Sposato: Asked what is being done to ensure reliable radio communications and the status of the…
1:58:37 Maria E. Hadden: Asked how many mobile camera trailers the city has and how many are on order.
2:00:08 Maria E. Hadden: Said camera trailers have helped commanders after shootings in the 24th District and urged…
2:02:31 Maria E. Hadden: Requested a written OPSA plan with metrics showing how it is saving administrative costs…
2:04:39 William Conway: Asked whether the $8.975 million contractual services line could be used for acoustic…
2:06:12 Jeanette B. Taylor: Asked why a fire department employee still uses a pager and how OPSA works with district…
2:07:16 Jeanette B. Taylor: Asked how OPSA addresses social media threats related to violence.
2:08:10 Jeanette B. Taylor: Requested camera data by ward and information on helping constituents register home…
2:14:06 Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Asked how officers' phones are being used to reduce time spent on reports.
2:16:22 Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Asked how Motorola maintains POD cameras and said she does not see their value when…
2:20:06 Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Asked what would happen to OPSA's work if the department no longer existed.
2:23:45 Committee hearing schedule changes and proposal to move a special City Council meeting
2:35:08 Michelle A. Harris: Objected to how the discussion about attending former Alderman Beavers' funeral was…
3:54:13 Michael D. Rodriguez: Asked about minimum qualifications for the timekeeper position and why few people…
3:55:57 Michael D. Rodriguez: Requested year-over-year performance metrics on POD camera approval, ordering,…
3:57:52 Michael D. Rodriguez: Asked whether the $8.9 million gunshot detection line will be spent in 2025 given…
4:03:53 Anthony V. Napolitano: Asked how many POD cameras have been installed and who chooses their locations.
4:05:33 Anthony V. Napolitano: Asked whether requests outside violence heat maps are excluded from camera…
4:06:51 Anthony V. Napolitano: Said up to 15 camera and license plate reader requests from his ward since 2020 have…
4:11:02 James M. Gardiner: Asked how many ambulances the city has and how much ambulance billing generates, noting…
4:13:13 James M. Gardiner: Said a license plate reader in his ward has been inoperable for about two years because a…
4:14:33 Emma Mitts: Asked about the timeline for the EMS expansion at the Public Safety Training Academy.
4:15:08 Emma Mitts: Asked whether outdated city equipment is still being donated.
4:16:47 Emma Mitts: Asked how residents can reserve the training academy community room.
4:19:34 Andre Vasquez Jr.: Asked whether OPSA has acted on oversight body recommendations on CPD data collection and…
4:23:22 Andre Vasquez Jr.: Asked for the timeline after the ShotSpotter replacement RFI closes and said members want…
4:25:42 Andre Vasquez Jr.: Asked whether any city technology automatically transmits data to the federal government.
4:31:45 Scott Waguespack: Asked about the history of the Motorola camera contract, plans to rebid it, and hurdles to…
4:47:32 Jessica L. Fuentes: Asked whether OPSA oversees how civil asset forfeiture funds are spent.
5:06:47 2025 budget hearing: Office of Emergency Management and Communications
5:12:35 Lamont J. Robinson: Asked how budget cuts will affect OEMC and whether it has the staffing and technology…
5:16:13 Lamont J. Robinson: Asked that cameras near city-owned buildings in high-crime areas be kept operable.
5:17:18 Lamont J. Robinson: Requested a list of events for which OEMC needs reimbursement and the amounts.
6:03:57 David H. Moore: Thanked OEMC for its neighborhood responsiveness and asked whether it has the resources it…
6:06:04 David H. Moore: Asked about the large drop in OEMC contractual services shown in the COFA analysis.
6:37:01 Bennett R. Lawson: Asked about traffic control aide staffing levels relative to the ideal number and an…
6:39:07 Bennett R. Lawson: Asked how traffic control aides are allocated on busy event days and suggested event…
6:41:49 Bennett R. Lawson: Asked whether traffic control aides could help at schools given the shortage of crossing…
6:47:56 Jessica L. Fuentes: Asked whether OEMC receives notifications from AI weapons detection systems used in…
6:49:23 Jessica L. Fuentes: Asked what it would take to scale up the CARE response and to let 911 callers request a…
7:11:00 Stephanie D. Coleman: Asked how 911 handles domestic violence calls and requested domestic violence call…
7:13:19 Stephanie D. Coleman: Asked how missing person reports for women and girls are handled and requested data by…

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 continued its 2025 budget hearings with four public commenters, then heard from the Office of Public Safety Administration (OPSA) and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), each introduced by a Council Office of Financial Analysis summary. Members questioned OPSA about whether its consolidation has produced savings, carried-over vacancies, sworn officers still in administrative roles, timekeeper hiring, camera and license plate reader installation and maintenance, the gunshot detection technology RFI, consent decree paragraphs, and medical leave management. OEMC questioning covered the DNC, call-taker wellness and staffing, SMART 911 and 311 outreach, language access, traffic control aides, the unsettled dispatcher union contract, mental health call routing, and the CARE program. The chair also announced that the committee would not meet on two dates set aside for funerals and proposed moving a special City Council meeting to Friday, which led to a debate among members; the transcript does not show a decision on the special meeting. No votes were taken on the departmental budgets.

Topics: OPSA budget, OEMC budget, vacancies and hiring, police cameras and license plate readers, gunshot detection RFI, consent decree, 911 and 311 operations, language access, employee wellness, committee schedule

Agenda items discussed

8:29 Public comment: discussed
20:28 2025 budget hearing: Office of Public Safety Administration: discussed
2:23:45 Committee hearing schedule changes and proposal to move a special City Council meeting: discussed
5:06:47 2025 budget hearing: Office of Emergency Management and Communications: discussed

Alderpersons who spoke

Jason C. Ervin (chair): Asked whether OPSA actively manages the return to work of employees on medical leave or only waits for their doctors to clear them. (36:13); Asked how artificial intelligence could be used to support police and fire technology needs. (1:05:37); Questioned why sworn officers assigned to OPSA have not been transitioned back to police work and asked what is needed to return the 41 officers. (1:36:05)
Pat Dowell (alderperson): Said OPSA was presented as a cost-saving department but its budget has grown, and asked what savings it has produced. (26:23); Asked whether OPSA's client departments are satisfied with its work and requested a written list of savings achieved. (31:01); Asked what OPSA has done about how long it takes for officers on medical leave to return to work and whether its staff doctor is rotated. (33:44)
Brendan Reilly (alderperson): Asked about OPSA's 85 carried-over vacancies and how many vacancies were carried from 2023 to 2024. (41:13); Pointed to line items requested at the same level each year despite much lower actual spending as evidence that zero-based budgeting was not applied. (43:02); Said most of OPSA's 2025 initiatives are procurement-related and asked whether efficiencies could come from housing them under the city's central procurement agency. (47:23)
James M. Gardiner (alderperson): Drawing on his experience as a former firefighter, explained the medical check-in and physical therapy procedures for injured police and fire personnel and said most are eager to return to work. (52:42); Asked how many ambulances the city has and how much ambulance billing generates, noting the firefighters union has asked for more ambulances. (4:11:02); Said a license plate reader in his ward has been inoperable for about two years because a new building blocks its signal and asked for staff follow-up. (4:13:13)
Matthew J. O'Shea (alderperson): Asked how many POD cameras and license plate readers exist citywide and how many will be added in 2025. (55:09); Said fewer people are joining CPD so the city must rely more on technology, and asked about grants for technology. (57:48); Asked how much is budgeted for gunshot detection technology compared with prior years. (1:00:16)
Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Asked whether OPSA tracks how much time officers spend writing reports. (1:07:03); Asked what metrics OPSA uses to measure the efficiency of consolidating public safety administrative functions. (1:08:18); Asked how many staff work in the help center serving 23,000 public safety employees and whether that is adequate. (1:13:10)
Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson): Cited the original projection of savings from creating OPSA and a Better Government Association review finding no equivalent savings, and asked why OPSA should not be broken up. (1:17:11); Said OPSA is responsible for fleet, facility and camera maintenance and that failures to keep equipment working fall on the department. (1:22:16); Requested OPSA's list of contracts, grant spending by ward, operational status of cameras by district, and repair wait times. (1:24:48)
Daniel La Spata (alderperson): Asked how persistent timekeeper vacancies are and how many timekeepers are still sworn officers. (1:26:00); Raised concern that lowering the starting salary for timekeepers could make the positions harder to fill. (1:27:25); Asked about OPSA's role in consent decree implementation and why that funding is decreasing. (1:31:02)
Felix Cardona Jr. (alderperson): Asked about an increase in OPSA's purpose-as-specified line from 2024 to 2025. (1:40:09); Asked whether OPSA could cut about 10 percent of its 85 vacancies if further efficiencies are needed. (1:41:25)
Nicholas Sposato (alderperson): Said CPD is also losing officers to the fire department and that recruiting police is a nationwide problem. (1:53:58); Asked whether OPSA works with Human Resources on slow police and fire promotion lists, which he said increase overtime costs. (1:54:33); Asked what is being done to ensure reliable radio communications and the status of the fire department CAD system. (1:55:09)
Byron Sigcho-López (alderperson): Asked what procurement methods OPSA uses for roughly $28 million in information technology services. (1:44:00); Requested information on any city use of predictive policing software and BriefCam and a list of third-party digital contractors paid in 2023 and 2024. (1:49:04); Asked whether OPSA has a regular audit program and said audits should inform the council on efficiencies such as overtime. (1:50:32)
Maria E. Hadden (alderperson): Asked how many mobile camera trailers the city has and how many are on order. (1:58:37); Said camera trailers have helped commanders after shootings in the 24th District and urged the city to buy more, at least one per district. (2:00:08); Requested a written OPSA plan with metrics showing how it is saving administrative costs and civilianizing positions. (2:02:31)
William Conway (alderperson): Asked whether the $8.975 million contractual services line could be used for acoustic gunshot detection technology. (2:04:39)
Jeanette B. Taylor (alderperson): Asked why a fire department employee still uses a pager and how OPSA works with district councils. (2:06:12); Asked how OPSA addresses social media threats related to violence. (2:07:16); Requested camera data by ward and information on helping constituents register home cameras. (2:08:10)
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (alderperson): Asked how officers' phones are being used to reduce time spent on reports. (2:14:06); Asked how Motorola maintains POD cameras and said she does not see their value when cameras are down or limited in scope. (2:16:22); Asked what would happen to OPSA's work if the department no longer existed. (2:20:06)
Andre Vasquez Jr. (alderperson): Asked whether OPSA has acted on oversight body recommendations on CPD data collection and studied duplicated operations across departments. (4:19:34); Asked for the timeline after the ShotSpotter replacement RFI closes and said members want clear communication about it. (4:23:22); Asked whether any city technology automatically transmits data to the federal government. (4:25:42)
Michelle A. Harris (alderperson): Objected to how the discussion about attending former Alderman Beavers' funeral was conducted and asked that the special meeting be moved so members do not have to choose. (2:35:08)
Michael D. Rodriguez (alderperson): Asked about minimum qualifications for the timekeeper position and why few people apply at a $55,000 starting salary. (3:54:13); Requested year-over-year performance metrics on POD camera approval, ordering, installation and activation. (3:55:57); Asked whether the $8.9 million gunshot detection line will be spent in 2025 given procurement timelines. (3:57:52)
Anthony V. Napolitano (alderperson): Asked how many POD cameras have been installed and who chooses their locations. (4:03:53); Asked whether requests outside violence heat maps are excluded from camera installation. (4:05:33); Said up to 15 camera and license plate reader requests from his ward since 2020 have not been installed. (4:06:51)
Emma Mitts (alderperson): Asked about the timeline for the EMS expansion at the Public Safety Training Academy. (4:14:33); Asked whether outdated city equipment is still being donated. (4:15:08); Asked how residents can reserve the training academy community room. (4:16:47)
Scott Waguespack (alderperson): Asked about the history of the Motorola camera contract, plans to rebid it, and hurdles to upgrading and integrating with sister agency cameras. (4:31:45)
Jessica L. Fuentes (alderperson): Asked whether OPSA oversees how civil asset forfeiture funds are spent. (4:47:32); Asked whether OEMC receives notifications from AI weapons detection systems used in schools. (6:47:56); Asked what it would take to scale up the CARE response and to let 911 callers request a non-police response. (6:49:23)
Lamont J. Robinson (alderperson): Asked how budget cuts will affect OEMC and whether it has the staffing and technology resources it needs. (5:12:35); Asked that cameras near city-owned buildings in high-crime areas be kept operable. (5:16:13); Requested a list of events for which OEMC needs reimbursement and the amounts. (5:17:18)
David H. Moore (alderperson): Thanked OEMC for its neighborhood responsiveness and asked whether it has the resources it needs. (6:03:57); Asked about the large drop in OEMC contractual services shown in the COFA analysis. (6:06:04)
Bennett R. Lawson (alderperson): Asked about traffic control aide staffing levels relative to the ideal number and an apparent hourly pay decrease in the budget book. (6:37:01); Asked how traffic control aides are allocated on busy event days and suggested event organizers bear more of those costs. (6:39:07); Asked whether traffic control aides could help at schools given the shortage of crossing guards. (6:41:49)
Stephanie D. Coleman (alderperson): Asked how 911 handles domestic violence calls and requested domestic violence call data by ward. (7:11:00); Asked how missing person reports for women and girls are handled and requested data by ward. (7:13:19)

Exchanges between members

52:42 Alderman James M. Gardiner offered clarification on medical procedures in response to points raised by Alderman Pat Dowell.
52:42 Alderman James M. Gardiner offered clarification on medical procedures in response to points raised by Chairman Jason C. Ervin.
2:26:54 Alderman Brendan Reilly asked the chair how he proposed to change the date of the already-called special meeting.
2:27:03 Chairman Jason C. Ervin replied that he would personally sign a call for a Friday meeting so members could attend the funeral.
2:28:05 Alderman Brendan Reilly said delaying the special meeting was not prudent and would require agreement of all signers.
2:32:11 Alderman Nicholas Sposato asked the chair whether members would be polled on funeral attendance.
2:34:56 Alderman Nicholas Sposato offered to survey members on funeral attendance.
2:38:35 Alderman Andre Vasquez Jr. asked the chair to schedule time for outside budget groups to report.
2:39:06 Chairman Jason C. Ervin said he had no objection and would work with Alderman Andre Vasquez Jr. to schedule it.
2:41:17 Chairman Jason C. Ervin responded to Alderman Raymond A. Lopez that his request may be offensive to some members and that a two-day change would not alter the outcome.
2:43:29 Alderman Pat Dowell echoed Alderman Michelle A. Harris description of former Alderman Beavers' service.
2:44:25 Alderman Pat Dowell told Alderman Nicholas Sposato to count her as not attending the meeting because she will be at the funeral.
4:07:50 Chairman Jason C. Ervin asked Alderman Anthony V. Napolitano whether his unfulfilled camera requests were funded with menu money.
4:07:56 Alderman Anthony V. Napolitano clarified to the chair that the requests were not funded with menu money.
4:35:35 Alderman Pat Dowell told Alderman James M. Gardiner she was not criticizing all first responders and thanked him for his clarification.
6:03:04 Vice Chair Nicole T. Lee joined Alderman Daniel La Spata line of questioning by asking for budget office confirmation on retroactive contract costs.
6:03:12 Alderman Daniel La Spata said that was where he was going and welcomed Vice Chair Nicole T. Lee request.
6:20:23 Vice Chair Nicole T. Lee agreed with Alderman Andre Vasquez Jr. about 311 closure notifications.
6:41:41 Vice Chair Nicole T. Lee echoed Alderman Bennett R. Lawson point about event organizers covering traffic control costs.
7:09:26 Chairman Jason C. Ervin followed up on Vice Chair Nicole T. Lee traffic control aide questions by asking about reimbursement.

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