Committee on Budget & Government Operations
October 16, 2019 City Council Meeting
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is in preparation for the upcoming 2020 budget cycle, beginning with the annual Budget Address to be given before the City Council by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on October 23, 2019; and,
WHEREAS, despite various efficiencies, tax increases other measures taken by the Members of the City Council to put the City of Chicago on stronger fiscal footing, the anticipated 2020 gap between the appropriations ordinance and revenue ordinance is expected to exceed $838 Million; and,
WHEREAS, each department within the City of Chicago has unfilled vacancies that Chicago taxpayers are asked to fund in full despite no person being selected for those positions; and,
WHEREAS, the Office of Budget and Management has identified 3,159 open and unfilled positions within the 2019 Budget spanning thirty-three departments costing taxpayers $213,329,103.00, heretofore included in this resolution as Appendix A; and,
WHEREAS, despite repeated calls for zero-based budgeting, these positions present an unnecessary burden on Chicago taxpayers who receive no quality of life benefit as a result of these positions not being filled despite having to pay millions in additional taxes to support their accumulative presence within the budget; and,
WHEREAS, other local units of government allow for positions to be held within an annual budget, funding them with $1 dollar, recognizing them as placeholder positions for future growth; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Members ofthe Chicago City Council, gathered here this 16th Day of October, do hereby call for public hearings to be held by the Committee on Budget and Government Operations on the matter of employee vacancies within the budgeting process; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we call upon all departments listed on Appendix A to appear before the Committee to explain their respective vacancies, the duration of the ...
Click here for full text