2023 City Budget Hearings [Libraries; Law; Transportation] MORNING

Chicago City Council
Libraries
Transportation
Finance
Politics

Monday, Oct. 24, 2022
9:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. CDT

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121 N LaSalle St Chicago, IL 60602 (Directions)

Most days of budget hearings are expected to run all day, with an hour-long lunch break somewhere in the middle.

We are splitting each day up into morning and afternoon assignments (9am-1pm and 1pm to end). If you are available for the whole day, feel free to apply to both morning and afternoon assignments.

You have the option of documenting this meeting in person or remotely. If you choose to attend in person, an additional hour will be added to your total assignment hours.

If you choose to document remotely, the meeting will be live-streamed at https://www.chicityclerk.com/.

At this link, scroll down to “Meeting Notices.” Look for “Watch now” and click on the link with the meeting title to go to a livestream page.

If you don’t see a link for the meeting, you may be early or the meeting may be starting late. Wait a few moments and try refreshing your Internet tab.

This is the 12th of 12 days of departmental budget hearings. It will feature overview presentations from the following city departments:

See also: Our guide to navigating the city budget process.

Check the source website for additional information

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Anna Aguiar Kosicki

Library hours, Banned books, Narcan, Police settlements, City lawsuits

Live reporting by Nikki Roberts

Library hours, Banned books, Narcan, Police settlements, City lawsuits

Nikki Roberts @bynikkiroberts 2/63

This is the final of the city’s 12 budget hearings. The departments presenting today will be @chipublib, @ChicagoCityLaw & @ChicagoDOT.

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The meeting is called to order at 9:03 a.m. Quite a few people have called in for public comment.

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Karen Daiter of @ClimateReality Chicago is “speaking for trees, specifically ash trees.” Karen says the older trees manage stormwater, improve health and property values, and decrease crime, among other benefits.

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“Chicago’s elder trees not only make our city beautiful, they take care of us,” said Daiter. Daiter is seeking treatment and conservation efforts for ash trees.

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The next speaker, John, is also a member of @ClimateReality speaking about the opportunity to save ash trees. He says there was a reform to save these trees in October 2022, but there was no funding provided for this effort in the 2023 budget.

Nikki Roberts @bynikkiroberts 7/63

The last remote speaker is Jeremy of the 44th ward. He is speaking on the issue of clearing snow from sidewalks and says the 311 snow report system will never work. “It just takes one property owner to make a path unpassable,” says Jeremy.

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Jeremy acknowledges that not all property owners are capable of clearing snow, which is why he is calling for a city-wide pilot program to remove snow and make all paths accessible for all residents.

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Next, George Blakemore calls attention to the fact that only 8 aldermen are present out of 50 this morning for the Department of Law budget hearing. He says the Department of Law hides misconduct, such as police abuse. He calls for more people to come and speak on city issues.

Nikki Roberts @bynikkiroberts 10/63

Kyle Lucas of Better Streets Chicago calls on the city to plow the sidewalks. Lucas says when the matter of sidewalk clearing is left to individuals, it just won’t get gone. He calls for a $750,000 pilot program, similar to the ones in Montreal or Toronto, in the 2023 budget.

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“Unplowed sidewalks are a huge equity issue. They trap people who use canes or walkers, trap caretakers who use strollers, and leave everyone at risk of getting injured,” said Lucas.

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Public comment has ended. Next, @chipublib commissioner Chris Brown will read his opening statement for the library department.

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Brown says he will not have time to go over all of the library’s impacts, but he highlights that the library has had over 48 million touchpoints, both via in-person visits and on online, with an average of 5,000 visitors per month.

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Brown says when the city became the largest fine-free library in 2019, 1 in 4 youth had a blocked account due to fines. That’s over 100,000 youth who could not borrow material. Now, the library has gone beyond restoring accounts and brings library material directly to classrooms.

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The library has increased visitation by 35% by adding Sunday hours. There is reduced wait time for library materials, and a senior equity officer has been added to create a more accessible, equitable library.

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The 81 libraries have partnered with the Department of Public Health to distribute Narcan to prevent opioid overdoses. The Department of Public Health has also brought in mental health clinicians to train staff and provide direct clinical services for library patrons.

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CPL questioning begins with Alderman Reboyras. He asks Brown to talk about what the library does for immigrants. Brown says 7% of programs are in a language other than English. There are classes on obtaining a green card & materials on the immigration process at each library.

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Reboyras asks about the 81 Club student program. Does this mean students don’t need a library card?

Brown says they have reduced hurdles for students. Students only need to access their neighborhood library to rent up to 5 physical materials.

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Next, Alderman Tunney asks about the large funding increase for technical services staffing. Brown explains that the library has unique IT needs, and will have 12 AIS staff switching to library staff to help with staff and patron needs.

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Tunney asks about the 35% increase in usage. Brown says this usage is due to expanded Sunday hours. Tunney asks for specific daily usage for libraries in/near his ward to be sent to him.

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Tunney also asks for someone to explain the increase in worker’s comp and unemployment in the budget. Deputy commissioner Teri Campbell says these amounts are estimates given by the department of finance based on the size of their staff.

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Alderman Napolitano asks if there is any kind of algorithm or structure to decide when a library needs a renovation or overhaul.

Brown says they will be adding a capital strategy to their budget in order to access the work that each library requires.

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Alderman Waguespack asks for Brown to explain the budget for diversity programs. He asks what Brown is doing to make libraries “a sanctuary for books,” specifically books that are being banned around the country due to their topics that involve people of diversity.

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Brown says the 25% increase last year allowed them to purchase more copies of challenged books. He wanted to make a statement about libraries being safe spaces by hosting book discussions and providing commonly banned books.

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Waguespack says when he hears about cities that have banned certain books, he wants CPL to be able to provide digital copies of these books to people around the country who may want to read them through the online portal.

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Brown says we are in an unprecedented time for book banning. In 2021, there were 700 challenges to 1,500 books across the country. He says he is proud that this city is a book sanctuary for diverse voices.

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Alderman Lee says libraries were places she was shushed as a kid. When she went into the Chinatown library, Lee says it was “buzzing” and an African-American security guard asked children to be quiet in Cantonese. “The library is a place that holds so much value to communities.”

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Lee asks what security protocols are for the branches. Brown says there are new behavioral and guideline expectations, and this fall staff will be equipped with an incident reporting system. There will also be a new security contract coming into play.

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Lee says there are repeat security issues with local offenders at the Daley branch in Bridgeport. She asks what can happen to make this library a safer environment. She adds that by incorporating mental health services, we are asking librarians to be more than just librarians.

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Alderman Osterman asks for a breakdown of weekly usage by branch, and for a security guard to be assigned to Edgewater library on Sundays. He says a lot of people live in acute mental crisis & they often “act out” at the libraries. He says libraries need to be safe for everyone.

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Alderman Cappleman says libraries are being completely reinvented as they respond to our environment. His dream is to see a library where some type of case management social service is present. Cappleman is a former social worker.

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Cappleman says about 90% of people who come to him are asking for things that can be handled by CPL, DCFS, or both. He asks about the mental health pilot initiative.

Brown says this pilot will train library staff, but also coordinate direct clinical support when needed.

Nikki Roberts @bynikkiroberts 33/63

Alderman Villegas asks how many Spanish-speaking staff are on the team. Brown says about 10% — 100 out of 1,000 staff members. He adds that he is working with aldermen offices to hire through the neighborhood.

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There has been a 13% increase in African-American management, and 5% increase in Latinx management in the past year. 15% of hires were internal promotions. Brown says he aims to hire another 100 staff members by the end of the year.

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Alderman Ervin thanks the department for their work with job search programs at Legler Library. He adds that the way the library is set up with a gate attracts people to loiter around the building. He asks to connect so they can develop a strategy that rethinks this fencing.

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Alderman Taylor asks for specific info on the Back of the Yards library. Brown says there is $15 million dedicated to this new branch, and there is an ongoing community conversation. Currently, the two potential locations are 4630 S Ashland & 4400 S Ashland.

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Taylor asks what role, if any, CPL will play in the Obama Presidential Center library.

Brown says it will be a Chicago Public Library. CPL will also program and engage the Obama Presidential Center’s forum, maker lab, and recording studio.

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The Chicago Public Library budget hearing has concluded. There will be a 5-minute recess until the Department of Law budget hearing begins.

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The Department of Law budget hearing has begun at 11:00 a.m. Corporation Counsel Celia Meza will give an opening statement.

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Meza’s main responsibilities include defending the city, its officials, and its agencies. The legal representation provided by the department is intended to make the city safer and fairer for all Chicagoans.

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In addition to handling lawsuits against the city, the department sues corporations that may harm Chicagoans, such as gun stores in IN whose firearms were covered in the city, opioid businesses, predatory debt collection agencies & vape/tobacco companies that market to children.

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Meza’s hiring practices seek to increase the diversity and skills of the department’s legal team. The department has also hired a professional social media team.

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The department offered paid clerk positions for law students. 107 applications were received for the 11 positions. 75% of these law student hires were diverse in terms of race and gender — last year’s clerks were only 25% diverse in terms of race and gender.

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The law department’s budget has an almost $2 million increase from the previous year. Meza says this increase is due to personnel reasons. The department wants an increase to compensate the salaries of all attornies so the office can be a marketable, competitive public entity.

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Meza says the law department has statistics to support this. 23 candidates went through the entire hiring sequence, but once thy discovered what the salary was, they all declined the position. Of those 23, 57% were ethnic and diverse candidates.

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The chair asks if this $2 million increase will correct the disparities in salaries for Black and Latinx in management positions. Meza says part of this discrepancy is due to that info reflecting non-union, non-attorney managers.

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Alderman Reboyras asks if it’s a safe assumption to say the city is sued every day. Meza says yes.

Reboyras says in the past there have been pro bono law firms utilized. Are they still utilized today? Meza says they ask & that work is often given; this saves the city millions.

Nikki Roberts @bynikkiroberts 48/63

Alderman Tabares says her office is looking to ban temporary rentals and cannabis dispensaries in accordance with the law that was passed in 2017. She says there’s no clarity in the ordinance regarding the remap of the new ward boundaries.

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Meza says she will look into the ordinance to see if there’s any grandfathering effect, but otherwise, it is likely they would have to abide by the new precinct boundaries. She will look into this matter.

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Alderman Tunney asks how many lawyers have left or retired in the past 2 years. Meza says 46 (of 203 total) attornies have left the department just this year. Tunney asks for a record of police settlements over the last 3-4 years.

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Meza has the numbers for total police payout from 2020 to July 31, 2022, which are:
2020: $55 million
2021: $100 million
7/31/2022: $63 million

Meza says 2022 will likely exceed $100 million.

Nikki Roberts @bynikkiroberts 52/63

Alderman Waguespack asks about the issue of hiring. Are we able to get into the law schools to recruit?

Meza says if they cannot get into the schools physically, they do so via Zoom or on university job boards. They want to be competitive and hire top-notch students.

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Waguespack asks if there are job perks such as remote opportunities or flexible hybrid schedules. Meza says she advocated forcefully to change the city policy and is trying to be competitive with telework firms.

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Alderman Lee says a lot of her questions have been answered, but she is glad that the budget addresses the budget compensation issue. She asks what the biggest challenge is in terms of cases to litigate.

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Meza says the hardest cases are the ones that require really experienced attornies. Nuanced cases, like those that deal with civil rights violations or police misconduct, are more difficult because they can point to underlying issues that they must identify and handle.

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Alderman Cappleman asks about digital ticket turnaround times. The department says they are about 2 months behind in streets & sanitation tickets. New in-house attornies are jumping in to handle these cases when they have downtime.

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Alderman Ervin asks how we triage cases. He mentions a case where $1 million was spent before deciding to settle out of court. Meza says many plaintiffs ask for more money. Even though the department may want to settle, the plaintiff ends up prolonging the case.

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Alderman Sadowski Garza asks how many positions the department is looking to fill. Meza says there are 37 open attorney positions. If these vacancies are filled, they would be able to handle their caseload in-house and reduce their outsourcing budget.

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Alderman LaSpata brings attention to the cap on paying outside council. He’s concerned a cap on their compensation may impact the quality of representation. He asks what the department needs from the council. Meza’s answer is increased funding for increasing in-house salaries.

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There was a brief Internet outage on my end, but I am just about caught up to live time coverage.

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Alderman Sigcho Lopez asks about the six positions dedicated to FOIA lawsuits. Meza clarifies that the law department does not respond to FOIA requests; they handle lawsuits that occur when these requests are not handled appropriately in each department.

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The chair thanked the department for its work and acknowledged Meza’s dedication to the department’s effort to hire skilled, diverse attornies.

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The meeting ended at 12:44 p.m. The second session will resume at 2:00 p.m.

Agency Information

Chicago City Council

The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago and consists of the Mayor and Aldermen elected from each of the City’s fifty wards. Source

If you attend a meeting in person, be prepared to go through a security checkpoint and show photo ID.

Meetings are also livestreamed at https://www.chicityclerk.com/.

At this link, scroll down to “Meeting Notices.” Look for “Watch now” and click on the link with the meeting title to go to a livestream page. If you don’t see a link for the meeting, you may be early or the meeting may be starting late. Wait a few moments and try refreshing your Internet tab.

Recordings of past City Council meetings may be found here: https://vimeo.com/user100351763/videos/sort:date.

See also: “What to Expect at a Meeting of Chicago’s City Council” via the Better Government Association.

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