Budgeting Into the Danger Zone

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Oct 15, 2008 9:30PM

The excrement hit the fan today when Mayor Daley unveiled his proposed budget to the city council. Daley and his team hope that this new budget (check out the highlights here) will help close an estimated $470 million shortfall by laying off 929 city workers (hey, they could always go into PR) eliminating more than a thousand vacant jobs, partially shutting down the government near holidays, raising the parking and amusement taxes, doing away with the Fire Department's Segway patrols (seriously?), doubling library fines, and privatizing 35,000 parking meters.

Daley is candid that the massive amount of layoffs will undoubtedly affect city response times, which should come as a worry to anyone concerned with the recent hike in crime. While none of the eliminated job vacancies affect sworn police officers, police hiring will be slowed down to only 200 new officers for 2009. According to Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue, that means the department will be down 850 officers. Lets just hope that the next police department makeover will help get it out of its current slump.

While Chicago isn't the only major city grappling with a major budget shortfall due to high energy costs and lagging tax revenues, Mayor Daley definitely contributed to the city's financial mess. Sun-Times city hall reporter Fran Spielman analyzes mistakes made by the Daley administration that have cost the city millions. Those blunders include Daley's refusal to steadily raise the city's property tax each year, his inaction on pension reform, city corruption (surprise!), Daley's fondness for TIF districts, and the fact the city has way too many departments, which are being trimmed down through mergers that could save the city $5 million.

If the city is in such bad shape now, who knows what may happen if it gets the 2016 Olympics.

By Hunter Clauss