Breaking The Bank: City Council Finishes Budget 2010 Hearings
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 12, 2009 3:40PM
Today, the City Council is slated to finish up hearings pertaining to Mayor Daley's 2010 budget as they prepare to send the budget to the whole Council for discussion next week. The Law Department will be the last to participate in the hearings and then we can get ready for a whole lot of...well, who knows? There's a historically huge budget gap - $520 million by WBEZ's count - that the City is looking to close. We've already heard Mayor Daley's plan, including major cuts to tourism, arts and events, furlough days, and even the city's recycling program. What remains to be seen is how much noise some of the city's aldermen - notably aldermen like Manny Flores and Scott Waguespack - make, especially in regards to Daley's plan to raid the money from the Parking Meter deal (Heaven forbid he touches any of the money in the city's large TIF funds). Ald. Waguespack said a few weeks ago, "If the parking meter money is depleted within five years, then what happens for the next 70 years of that contract?" Of course, our cynical side suspects that those offering resistance will be outnumbered by those willing to be the Mayor's rubber stamp.