At Tuesday’s meeting of the Committee on Finance, Susie Park, the director of the Office of Budget and Management, acknowledged Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s budget is precariously balanced in its current form. The slightest change or miscalculation will impact the stability of the entire budget.
The question I and numerous of my colleagues have is simple: How can any Chicagoan believe this budget is true and balanced if it relies on $163 million from the federal government for additional reimbursements to cover the cost of city ambulance services?
The same federal government that is headed by Donald Trump — no big fan of Chicago, by the way!
Assuming the city does in fact get those dollars, the administration has not been truthful about the departmental savings from its “zero-based budgeting” process. Lightfoot has proposed fully eliminating from the city work force approximately 130 full-time and currently vacant position, thereby saving taxpayers $19 million.
What Lightfoot has been defensive about is the remaining 1,900 vacant full time jobs from the 2019 budget that she is keeping and paying for in the 2020 budget. This move forces Chicago taxpayers to spend an additional $194 million on jobs she has no intention of filling.
Lightfoot’s answer is typical political deflection: We won’t cut positions because they impact the delivery of city services. However, that is a lie because many of these positions have been vacant throughout her six month-tenure and indeed during the last months of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s tenure. Additionally, Lightfoot has said we will maintain hiring at 2019 levels — again with nearly 2,000 unfilled yet funded jobs.
The vacancy issue is critical because it represents maintaining of the status quo within City Hall. It represents the true multimillion-dollar slush fund used by mayors past and now the present mayor to cover their budget errors or, as the case here, provide a $200 million cash flow cushion in the budget.
Beyond the “if’s, and’s and maybe’s” of this budget, there are several concrete things we can do now to generate revenue responsibly and quickly to keep our city on track.
First, we have until Dec. 31 to have a budget in place. The City Council should slow down this entire budget process so that departments have time to adequately present to the City Council their best, most efficient budgets possible.
Second, we must address the massive number of unfilled positions within our city’s budget. Lightfoot needs either to commit to a massive hiring plan that will genuinely address service needs or eliminate nearly all non-emergency positions, saving taxpayers an additional $94 million.
Third, we should remove the Chicago Police Department’s $150 million budget increase. This money was added to cover anticipated, but not confirmed, lawsuit judgments. I propose any potential increase be funded by the anticipated $163 million in ambulance reimbursements for two reasons. Neither the judgments nor reimbursements are realized. Additionally, it makes it harder for the Republican president to refuse to pay for funds earmarked for a law enforcement budget.
Fourth, we must divorce ourselves from the emotions of ride-share and look at a solid proposal inferred by Uber that has merit: a $50 million guarantee for a revised ground transportation tax. Unlike the various mulligans called for in this budget, we can require by law that the ride-share platforms fund in escrow $25 million to fund the tax revenue guarantee which they have committed to. This would generate $10 million more than what Lightfoot has envisioned and could be dedicated to expanding mental health access throughout Chicago.
Lastly, Lightfoot may be confident in a Springfield casino deal; however, the city has yet to pull the lever on its own gambling abilities: video gaming. Between licensing and tax revenue, the city could net $20 million to $35 million immediately in per machine licensing with millions more from gambling revenue.
What I have proposed would eliminate $244 million in immediate spending needs while generating at minimum $45 million in new, immediate revenue sources. The people of Chicago were promised reform and transparency. Each of us — including Lori Lightfoot — has a responsibility to ensure this budget is a reflection of that.
Raymond A. Lopez is the alderman of the 15th Ward
