City Council's Budget Office Will Need Real Independence
By aaroncynic in News on Oct 28, 2013 8:30PM
The Chicago City Council will get its own independent budgeting office tasked with reviewing the City’s budget, proposed public-private partnerships and proposals under consideration by the City Council. Announced late last week as part of the 2014 budget, the City Council Office of Financial Analysis will operate independently from the Mayor’s office with a staff of six and a $500,000 annual budget. Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), who announced the proposal alongside Mayor Emanuel, Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th), and Ald. Michele Smith (43rd) said “This office will benefit the entire City Council in finding innovative and fiscally sound solutions to the issues that Chicago faces.”
While an independent authority reviewing the budget is a great idea, especially from a mayor who loves to tout the “transparency” of his office, it will remain to be seen whether or not the COFA is more than just a nice gesture. Much like the Legislative Inspector General’s office, the actual amount of authority the COFA will have is subject to some heavy limits. Mark Anderson at NBC’s Ward Room points out that quite often policy proposals like the budget office:
“...are presented politically as "take-it-or-leave-it” propositions, worked out in advance before being presented to the Council for an up-or-down vote. Just as often, the mayor’s office has also twisted enough arms in advance to ensure passage in Council, no matter what anyone else says.”
Furthermore, one has to wonder how independently COFA will be allowed to operate. The Legislative IG office doesn’t control its own budget and still answers to the mayor when enforcing a subpoena. Pawar might have told the Sun-Times “This is an office that’s going to be here long after I’m gone and Rahm Emanuel is gone” and that it makes the City Council more effective. But for the office to be truly effective, it needs to have the independence, resources and power to do its job.