# A Council hearing on police domestic violence funding fell one member short. It's rescheduled for Nov. 12 *Only eight of 18 Police and Fire Committee members came to the Oct. 1 hearing on the police Office of Victim Services. Here's who was there, the resolution behind it, and the committee's backlog.* By Chicago Politics · Updated Oct 23, 2026 A City Council hearing on how the Chicago Police Department spends money meant for domestic violence survivors is back on the calendar for Nov. 12. The first attempt, on Oct. 1, never started: only eight of the 18 members of the Committee on Police and Fire showed up in the room, one short of a quorum. Why it matters: the hearing is about the police department's expanded Office of Victim Services, which is supposed to connect people to community service providers. A Block Club Chicago investigation in June found that very few domestic violence organizations received referrals from it last year, [Block Club has reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/19/why-did-so-many-alders-skip-a-domestic-violence-hearing-most-who-missed-it-wont-say/). The resolution calling the hearing cites $3.9 million allocated to the office and related domestic violence work. The 2027 budget is now before the Council, so the hearing would come while that spending is up for a vote. ## What happened on Oct. 1 The [Oct. 1 meeting](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/63CCE87C-CBA7-F111-B8DD-001DD803894A) was posted Sept. 3. Committee rules require nine members physically present; members attending remotely do not count toward a quorum. After about 45 minutes, Vice Chair Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) called it off, [Block Club reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/01/council-hearing-on-city-domestic-violence-program-canceled-after-not-enough-alders-show-up/). The recording shows the meeting adjourned for lack of an in-room quorum ([watch at 23:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/63CCE87C-CBA7-F111-B8DD-001DD803894A?t=1436)). Block Club followed up on Oct. 19 and asked the 10 members who were not in the room why. According to [that report](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/19/why-did-so-many-alders-skip-a-domestic-violence-hearing-most-who-missed-it-wont-say/): - **Present (8):** Lee (11), Robinson (4), Mosley (21), Cardona (31), Sposato (38), Nugent (39), Knudsen (43), Silverstein (50). - **Absent (10):** Chair Chris Taliaferro (29th), who Ald. Nicole Lee said was out of town; Hall (6), who Lee said had left City Hall; Mitchell (7), Curtis (18), Tabares (23), Ervin (28) and Clay (46), who did not respond to Block Club; Taylor (20); and Napolitano (41) and Gardiner (45), who were approved to attend remotely. Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) told Block Club no one asked whether the date worked for her. Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st) said he was handling a ward problem and meeting with residents. Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) criticized the coverage for not mentioning remote participants. Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th), who made it to the chamber, called the cancellation "very frustrating." Lee told Block Club she should have called every member personally, and took responsibility. ## What our records add **The resolution has waited four months.** Lee's [resolution](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/R2026-0026326-call-hearing-addressing-concerns-about-investing) (R2026-0026326), calling for hearings on the City investing in the Office of Victim Services rather than emergency housing and legal aid, was introduced June 17, 2026. It has 13 co-sponsors: Clay (46), Coleman (16), Cruz (30), Dowell (3), Fuentes (26), Gutiérrez (14), Hadden (49), Harris (8), Nugent (39), Ramirez (12), Rodríguez Sánchez (33), Scott (24) and Taylor (20). Two of those co-sponsors, Taylor and Clay, sit on the committee and were not in the room on Oct. 1. **This committee has a long backlog.** Our [committee page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/committee/police-and-fire) shows the Committee on Police and Fire has had 65 items referred to it this term and 46 reach a final action. Eighteen are waiting, with a median wait of 828 days; 13 have waited more than a year. It has held 26 meetings with video and had six cancelled. **It is not the only hearing to stall.** Block Club reported that hearings this summer on replacing ShotSpotter and on CTA leadership and crime also lacked enough members to proceed. ## What's next The committee has posted a [Nov. 12 meeting at 1 p.m.](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/051DB20E-BCC9-F111-AAAE-001DD803894A) in Room 201A at City Hall, with Lee's resolution as the only item on the agenda. Lee told Block Club she plans to call members ahead of time to confirm they will attend. The committee's members are listed on [its page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/committee/police-and-fire), with links to each alderperson's page. The Budget Committee's hearings on department budgets, including the police department, run through Nov. 10, and the Council's [public hearing on the 2027 budget](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/R2026-0029546-time-fixed-public-hearing-2027-executive) is Dec. 8. ## Sources 1. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club has reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/19/why-did-so-many-alders-skip-a-domestic-violence-hearing-most-who-missed-it-wont-say/) 2. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/01/council-hearing-on-city-domestic-violence-program-canceled-after-not-enough-alders-show-up/) On the map: [11th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/11) --- Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/chicago-domestic-violence-hearing-quorum-rescheduled-nov-12 · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt