Missed yesterday’s budget briefing? We’ve got you covered! Check out a video of the briefing and read through the presentation below.
Special thanks to Geoffrey Cubbage from the Better Government Association for presenting BGA’s analysis of this year’s budget, and digging into the budgets for two of the departments that 40th Ward neighbors most wanted to hear about: the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the Department of Transportation (CDOT). We also want thank the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and the Civic Federation, whose data and analysis also informed the presentation. Independent financial analysis is crucial to make sure the City is held accountable to its spending, so we recommend you follow all three organizations for continuing analysis on this year’s budget!
Thank you to everyone who filled out the 40th Ward Budget Survey! We got almost 500 responses, and our team has been reading through all of your thoughts, questions, and concerns. Here’s some of what we’ve learned so far:
Public safety, housing, and infrastructure were the top 3 priorities 40th Ward residents identified for this year’s budget.
When it comes to the service improvements 40th Ward neighbors want to see, these are some of the top themes that came up:
- Public Safety: making our communities safer, improving emergency response, etc.
- Transit: improving Chicago’s transit system; while the CTA is not included in the City’s budget, 40th Ward residents identified transit improvements and access to transit as some of their top priorities
- Bike, Pedestrian, and Traffic Safety: increasing traffic enforcement and expanding bike and pedestrian safety infrastructure,
- Homelessness + Affordable Housing: providing shelter for folks who need it, increasing affordable housing, and bringing down housing costs.
- Streets + Construction: infrastructure repairs, better coordination of city construction projects, and fixing more potholes.
We’ll keep these priorities at the top of mind in the next few weeks as we continue budget hearings, and as Ald. Vasquez continues negotiations with City Council and the Mayor’s Office. If you have any other questions or feedback on the budget process, feel free to email us at info@40thward.org!