# Fire, 911 and police oversight face the Council's budget committee today. What members asked last year, and what's changed

*The hearing comes hours after a fire killed four people in a Rogers Park townhome and days after a video of a firefighter striking a man drew millions of views. The parking meter roll call still isn't posted.*

By Chicago Politics · Updated Nov 5, 2026

The City Council's budget committee turns to public safety again today. Its [hearing](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/93474B73-93C9-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5), which began at 9:30 a.m., covers the Chicago Fire Department, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (which runs 911), Chicago Animal Care and Control, the Office of Public Safety Administration and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), according to the committee's [amended schedule](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/clerk/meetingattachmentspublic/c3b7092e-1eb7-4259-b45f-97c49adebde1.pdf).

Why it matters: these agencies answer the calls residents make in the worst moments, and their budgets decide how fast help arrives. It's also one of the last chances for alderpersons to question them in public before the 2027 budget vote.

## What's in the news

- **A fatal fire.** Four people, including a 13-year-old boy, died after a fire in a two-story townhome on the 7000 block of North Paulina Street in Rogers Park around 4:15 a.m. today, the [Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/11/05/4-killed-in-rogers-park-fire). A Fire Department spokesperson said it wasn't immediately known where or how the fire started, and it remains under investigation. The block is in the 49th Ward.
- **A video under review.** The Fire Department said it is investigating after a firefighter struck a man with a tool on Sunday in Greater Grand Crossing, [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/11/03/chicago-fire-department-investigating-after-firefighter-strikes-man-with-tool-in-viral-video/). Police said the man had punched the firefighter and kept approaching after an officer's Taser failed; he was charged with aggravated battery. The video has drawn more than 15 million views.
- **911 waits.** The Inspector General's draft 2027 plan proposes a review of what happens when someone calls 911 and no officer is free, [as we reported Wednesday](/on-my-block/inspector-general-2027-public-safety-plan-911-backlogs-ccpsa-overtime).

## What members asked last year

Our notes from the 2026 budget hearings show what these departments were pressed on a year ago, and what members may follow up on today.

- **911 and OEMC** ([Nov. 6, 2025](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/27FEFA88-C89F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF)): Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) raised reports of residents calling 911 and getting no answer, and asked what data exists on unanswered calls ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/27FEFA88-C89F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF?t=15094)). Ald. David Moore (17th) asked the department to confirm for the record that 911 callers aren't put on hold ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/27FEFA88-C89F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF?t=14563)), and asked how much of the 911 surcharge fund remains ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/27FEFA88-C89F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF?t=14623)). Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) asked that crossing guards be returned to OEMC from the schools ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/27FEFA88-C89F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF?t=10569)).
- **Public Safety Administration** (same day): members asked about the delayed computer-aided dispatch system, civilianizing police jobs and gunshot detection procurement. On Tuesday, about 72% of voters backed restarting gunshot detection in an advisory question, [as we reported](/on-my-block/chicago-voters-approve-six-advisory-questions-gunshot-detection-council-record).
- **Fire Department** (same day, [from 5:41:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/27FEFA88-C89F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF?t=20515)): questions covered a duplicate executive director position, alderperson notification, litigation costs, recruitment and new vehicles. Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th) agreed with Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) that the department was becoming a target for lawsuits ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/27FEFA88-C89F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF?t=23411)).
- **Animal Care and Control** ([Nov. 13, 2025](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/41B45E25-C99F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF)): Sposato said the department's director had been acting for three years and the City needed to resolve it ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/41B45E25-C99F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF?t=18780)); Quinn called that "embarrassing" ([watch](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/41B45E25-C99F-F011-B4CB-001DD8001AAF?t=16334)).
- **COPA** ([Nov. 12, 2025](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/C6CEC3EA-B6B9-F011-BBD2-001DD80025BF?t=15817)) testified alongside the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, which comes back Tuesday.

## Also on the budget: the parking meter roll call

The Clerk's official record for Monday's ordinance sending $75 million in parking meter money to the pension funds, [O2026-0029681](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0029681-adding-regarding-ongoing-metered-parking-concession), still lists no individual votes. We checked the Clerk's system at 9:53 a.m. today; it was last published Monday afternoon. The ordinance passed 44 to 6, and only two no votes have been reported: Budget Chair Jason Ervin (28th) and Ald. Byron Sigcho-López (25th), [the Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/11/02/city-council-mayor-johnson-defeat-75m-parking-meter-windfall-stonepeak-partners). We'll add the full roll call when it's posted ([background](/on-my-block/parking-meter-75-million-arrived-october-roll-call-not-posted-council-dec-8)).

## What's next

- **Friday, Nov. 6:** the City Clerk, Family and Support Services, the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, the Commission on Human Relations and the Chicago Public Library.
- **Monday, Nov. 9:** Treasurer, Human Resources, Administrative Hearings, Procurement and the Board of Elections.
- **Tuesday, Nov. 10:** oversight bodies, the Inspector General and the Law Department.

We'll post our notes and timestamps from today's hearing on the [meeting page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/93474B73-93C9-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5) once the video and transcript are processed.

*Sources: [Office of the City Clerk: O2026-0029681 official record](https://chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Matter/?matterId=F843AB82-30D2-F111-A05C-001DD80FDAD3).*


## Sources

1. Chicago Sun-Times: [Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/11/05/4-killed-in-rogers-park-fire)
2. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/11/03/chicago-fire-department-investigating-after-firefighter-strikes-man-with-tool-in-viral-video/)
3. Chicago Sun-Times: [the Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/11/02/city-council-mayor-johnson-defeat-75m-parking-meter-windfall-stonepeak-partners)
4. City of Chicago: [Neighborhood and community area boundaries (Chicago Data Portal)](https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/y6yq-dbs2)

On the map: [Rogers Park](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/rogers-park), [Grand Crossing](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/grand-crossing), [49th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/49), [11th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/11), [17th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/17), [13th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/13), [32nd Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/32), [38th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/38)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/budget-hearing-fire-oemc-copa-animal-care-today-what-members-asked-last-year · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt