City Inspector General: Streets And San Dragging Feet On Grid-Based Garbage Collection Audit
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 8, 2013 7:20PM
Remember how the Emanuel administration crowed in April about the savings the city has seen switching to a grid-based garbage collecting system? Emanuel bragged about how the $18 million in savings, while nowhere near the $60 million originally estimated when the plan was announced in 2011, was still a win for “the taxpayers of Chicago.”
And it still may be, but Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson wants to know how the Department of Streets and Sanitation would monitor the plan and improve future efficiency gains with the grid-based system. The problem Ferguson has is Streets and San isn’t cooperating with an audit of the system.
Ferguson announced Monday Streets and San Commissioner Charles Williams walked out of a meeting with IGO auditors when pressed for more information on how his department would monitor operations, and didn’t respond to an IGO request to resume discussion. Ferguson is looking for the city to release the underlying data, methodology and corresponding documents used to come to the $18 million in savings, wants Streets and San to establish best practices and performance metrics to better understand how the grid-based system is working, and revamp the current supervisory chain of command that was developed for the now-defunct ward-based garbage collection system.
Ferguson said Williams’ decision to pick up his ball and run home “sets a remarkably poor example for other City employees. Such behavior sends a signal to the public about the City’s commitment to transparency and accountability.” It marks the latest head-to-head clash between Ferguson and the Emanuel administration over transparency in government—which is increasingly becoming the one major campaign promise Candidate Emanuel has consistently broken since becoming Mayor.
Last month the city announced that Ferguson must reapply for his position, setting the stage for his possible ouster. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled in March that Ferguson’s office ultimately answers to the mayor when it comes to enforcing his subpoenas, even when his investigation involves the mayor’s office. Ferguson has also run into resistance investigating the City Council Finance Committee’s disability compensation payment program.