Release of the FY27 Budget
At this week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Johnson released the administration’s budget proposal for FY27:
Budget hearings begin next week, and we encourage you to tune in. You can attend in person or tune in virtually via chicityclerk.com. Here’s a schedule of hearings:
- Monday, October 26th at 10am: Budget & Finance
- Office of Budget and Management (OBM)
- Department of Finance (DOF)
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
- Tuesday, October 27th at 9:30am: Infrastructure, Day 1
- Department of Buildings (DOB)
- Department of Aviation (DOA)
- Department of Fleet and Facility Management (FFM)
- Department of Environment (DOE)
- Wednesday, October 28th at 9:30am: Public Safety Day 1
- Chicago Police Department (CPD)
- Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH)
- Thursday, October 29th at 9:30am: Infrastructure Day 2
- Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS)
- Department of Transportation (CDOT)
- Department of Technology and Innovation (DTI)
- Department of Water Management (DWM)
- Wednesday, November 4th: Economic Development & Arts
- Department of Planning and Development (DPD)
- Department of Housing (DOH)
- Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE)
- Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP)
- Thursday, November 5th at 9:30am: Public Safety Day 2
- Chicago Fire Department (CFD)
- Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC)
- Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC)
- Office of Public Safety Administration (OPSA)
- Civilian Office for Police Accountability (COPA)
- Friday, November 6th at 9:30am: Social Services, Clerks, and Libraries
- City Clerk
- Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)
- Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS)
- Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR)
- Chicago Public Library (CPL)
- Monday, November 9th at 9:30am: Procurement, HR, Oversight and Elections
- City Treasurer
- Department of Human Resources (DHR)
- Department of Administrative Hearings
- Department of Procurement Services (DPS)
- Chicago Board of Elections
- Tuesday, November 10th at 9:30am: Oversight, Independent Bodies, and the Law Department
- Liquor Control Commission
- Chicago Police Board (CPB)
- Community Commissioner for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA)
- Board of Ethics (BOE)
- Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
- Department of Law (DOL)
Our team is currently hard at work analyzing the budget, so we hope to have more to share with you soon! We’ll be hosting a virtual Budget Town Hall on November 10th, so save the date and bring all your questions and feedback!
- When: Tuesday, November 10th, 6-7pm
- Where: On Zoom! Register here
Geoffrey Cubbage, Senior Policy Analyst at Better Government Association (and former 40th Ward staffer!) will join us to dive into this year’s budget includes, and Ald. Vasquez will address some of his concerns and priorities going into budget negotiations. We’ll also have a Q&A, so we can hear your questions and feedback on what you hope to see in the 2027 budget. Hope to see you there!
In the meantime, feel free to read up on some of our resources for the Chicago City Budget! For an explainer on the Chicago budget process, check out our Budget Explainer. We also recommend checking out the independent budget watchdog organizations below for their coverage of the 2026 City Budget.
Legislative Updates: Smart Streets Expansion Passed!
We are thrilled to report that the Smart Streets citywide expansion passed City Council this month!
Ald. Vasquez and Ald. La Spata (1st Ward) introduced the ordinance (O2026-0028833) proposing a citywide expansion of Smart Streets, a pilot program that uses cameras on city vehicles and CTA buses to automatically ticket drivers who are parked illegally. The proposed came after 21 City Council members signed a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson and City Clerk Anna Valencia asking them to implement safety measures that could have prevented the death of Chicago Department of Transportation employee and cyclist Riley O’Neil earlier this year.
“We owe it to Riley O’Neil’s memory to get serious about expanding safe streets infrastructure and policies that we know work,” said Alderperson Vasquez. “There’s a reason we called this ordinance Smart Streets: it is a no-brainer to expand enforcement and accountability for traffic safety.”
Since its launch in 2024, drivers who blocked bike lanes, bus lanes, or crosswalks have been fined nearly $4.5 million. Notably, the majority of people who got a first ticket did not commit another infraction, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. Due to the program’s success, Ald. Vasquez and La Spata are now championing the effort to expand it citywide.
“Not only has Smart Streets been revenue positive for the city, more importantly, it’s been positive for traffic safety,” says Alderperson Daniel La Spata. “70% of drivers who get a first ticket never get a second ticket.”
“The goal of the program isn’t to generate revenue, it’s to increase safety,” says Ald. Vasquez. “If we get to a point where we don’t make any revenue, that’s great, because it means we’ve been successful in making the city safer.”
The Smart Streets expansion passed City Council in October, and will now begin implementation.
“We have lost too many lives due to the lack of safe streets infrastructure and policies,” said Ald. Vasquez. “We owe it to their memory to get serious about expanding and enforcing the policies that we know protect cyclists and pedestrians. Smart Streets does just that: The pilot proved that enforcing bus and bike lane violations changes driver behavior. Expanding it citywide will now allow us to hold companies who continue to flout these rules accountable. It is not an exaggeration to say that this legislation will save lives.”
Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights Update
The Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights held a meeting on October 15th to discuss the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA)’s oversight efforts on Chicago Police Department (CPD) interaction with federal immigration enforcement. If you missed the meeting, you can check out a video here, and you can find info on this and other past meetings at the CIRR website.
We want to especially thank the Commissioners and District Councilors who took time to attend our hearing and speak on their work, including 17th District Councilor Elizabeth Rochford, 19th District Councilor Erin Vogel, Charles Isaacs, Deputy Director to the District Councils, Angel Rubi Navarijo, Commissioner-Vice President, CCPSA, Angelique Guzman, Commissioner, CCPSA, and Adam Gross, Executive Director CCPSA. We are grateful for their work, and all of yours!
Keep up with the committee’s work on the CIRR website, and check out our upcoming events!