This past week, we hosted a Town Hall for 40th Ward neighbors to come together to discuss the most pressing policy issues facing our city! We hosted breakout discussions to hear from neighbors about their ideas and priorities, and talked about some of the priorities we’re working on.
If you missed being there in person, you can watch a video of the presentation on YouTube, or check out some of the highlights below!
City Government 101
The City of Chicago is made up of two branches: the executive branch, and the legislative branch.
- The Mayor oversees City operations and enforcement of legislation, as well as the executive departments.
- Executive Departments manage City operations and services for the following areas
- Finance and Administration covers all the financial and administrative tasks of City government, e.g. the City budget, legal issues, IT, contracts, and city equipment and vehicles;
- Legislative and Elections (the Board of Elections) handles the operations of city elections;
- City Development covers housing, planning (e.g. zoning issues), and special events;
- Community Services covers services like public health, disability access, mental health and social services, and public libraries;
- Public Safety includes the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (which operates 911, among other functions), and public safety oversight agencies like the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA)
- Regulatory includes departments that handle licensing, permits, and otherwise ensure that city regulations are being followed, e.g. the Department of Buildings, which handles building inspections and permits, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, which handles business issues and licensing, Animal Care and Control, and the Department of the Environment, as well as the Board of Ethics and the Office of the Inspector General
- Infrastructure Services covers the departments that are responsible for the city’s infrastructure, e.g. the Department of Water Management, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Aviation, and the Department of Streets and Sanitation (which handles garbage, tree trimming, rodent abatement, and more).
- Executive Departments manage City operations and services for the following areas
- The City Clerk manages the official records of the city
- The City Treasurer manages the City’s funds
- City Council is the legislative branch, which is responsible for developing and passing legislation. City Council members also serve as intermediaries between city departments and their constituents to ensure they receive services. City Council is also made up of twenty standing committees, which is where the majority of legislation is debated.
How Legislation Works
Anyone can submit a piece of legislation for consideration to City Council. While the majority of legislation comes from either members of City Council or the Mayor, residents can submit legislation to be considered as well.
Legislation is introduced in City Council. During the City Council meeting, the City Clerk’s office will refer different pieces of legislation to the appropriate Committees for those pieces of legislation to be discussed and voted on (e.g. if it is a piece of legislation related to zoning, it would be referred to the Zoning Committee). An Alderperson may opt to refer a piece of legislation instead to the Committee on Rules, if they disagree with where it is being referred to. Once a piece of legislation is sent to Rules, it typically stalls, unless the Committee on Rules agrees to hear it and refer it to the appropriate Committee, or an Alderperson files a Rule 41 after XX days to force it back into City Council for consideration.
Once a piece of legislation is referred to the appropriate Committee, the Chair of that Committee is responsible for scheduling it for a hearing, at which point Committee members can either vote to recommend it, not recommend it, or to hold it in committee for further development.
Once a Committee votes to recommend, the legislation is sent on to City Council for a full vote. If the majority vote for it, it becomes law (unless the Mayor vetoes it, in which case it would need a 2/3rds majority to override the veto). If the majority are opposed, it fails.
Between each of these steps, a piece of legislation may be discussed, amended, and changed.
Our Legislative Priorities
Ultimately, Ald. Vasquez’s job is to represent you, the neighbors of the 40th Ward. That means our priorities are your priorities! From listening to the feedback of our neighbors over the years, we have identified several areas that we prioritize:
Accountable City Government
Chicagoans deserve to know that their City government is working for them. Here are some of the ways we do that through policy:
- Making the City’s budget process more transparent, so we can make make better decisions for our City’s future.
- Mandating regular hearings of City agencies, e.g. quarterly hearings of Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Transit Authority
- Passing legislation to improve services, in departments or service areas where we’ve identified persistent issues or inefficiencies
- Meeting regularly with departments to improve processes, in cases where legislation has already been passed
Reimagining Public Safety
Public safety is our number one priority in the 40th Ward! Here are some of the ways we’re tackling it through policy:
- Freeing up officers to focus on their core duties of investigation, apprehension, and emergency response (when appropriate) by exploring transitioning other duties to alternative response teams;
- Building trust between police and communities by strengthening accountability and civilian oversight;
- Tackling one of the city’s largest public safety issues––traffic safety––through infrastructure and policy;
- Expanding protections for communities targeted by violence.
Creating a More Liveable City
Everyone wants to feel good about where they live. We believe that the best way to build a world-class city is:
- Make it easier to build housing that everyone can afford;
- Invest in public transit and all modes of transportation to make it easier for people to get around safely;
- Create public art and spaces for people to build community;
- Develop sustainability initiatives that make the city a greener, healthier place to live.
Protecting the Rights
As Chair of the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Ald. Vasquez is always working to find ways to uphold Chicago’s legacy as a Welcoming City. In addition, during a time when reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, disability rights, and workers’ rights are all under attack, we’re doing everything we can to make sure we’re living up to the values of our city, and protect the rights of those who are most vulnerable.
To find out more about what we’ve done and what we’re working in all of the areas above, check out our Legislative Highlights page! If you weren’t able to make it to the Town Hall in person to share your ideas, you can always send us your policy ideas or feedback to info@40thward.org.