Chicago alders push for special City Council meeting to dig into consultants' report on budget
Taxpayers in Chicago forked over $3.2 million to a giant consulting firm to learn how the city could save money as it seeks to close a $1.15 billion budget shortfall for next year. Now several aldermen are furious, saying the mayor left out key findings from the report from his budget plan.
Mayor Brandon Johnson's office said the full report from EY – formerly known as Ernst & Young – has been released publicly, and aldermen have been briefed on its recommendations.
Three alderpeople said Monday morning the full report has been kept under wraps by the mayor's office. The mayor's office said the full report was made available last month. Monday afternoon, those aldermen changed their tune, saying they've seen the full report, but have never been briefed on it.
A group of 10 aldermen has now scheduled a special City Council meeting for next Monday, Nov. 10, to question the EY consultants about the report.
A growing group of Chicago aldermen said the city might be ignoring big opportunities to save money as recommended by EY, and they want to know why.
"We are looking for hundreds of millions of dollars that were proposed in efficiencies in this report," said Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd).
In May, the city gave EY a $3.2 million contract to take a hard look at city's finances and find ways so save money in the face of a $1.15 billion budget deficit for 2026.
Their report, released last month, outlined hundreds of millions of dollars in potential savings: from streamlining city departments to how the city operates and buys its fleet of vehicles
But several aldermen said only a few of the consultants' ideas made into the mayor's proposed budget for next year, and they want to review all of EY's findings before a budget vote
"Those findings should not be sitting in a shelf," said Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th).
"Taxpayers who are paying for this deserve to see what's behind all portions of these documents," Waguespack said.
A group of 10 aldermen have filed a letter with the City Clerk, calling for a special session on Nov. 10 to have EY consultants testify in public about their findings and answer questions from alders.
"What are the efficiencies that we're leaving out of this budget?" Waguespack said.
Johnson's proposed budget relies heavily on one-time borrowing and new taxes to close the city's massive deficit, but the mayor's critics said, before asking taxpayers for more, City Hall should take a hard look at what else they can cut first.
"The people we represent are fed up. They want to see real work done at City Hall," said Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th).
"What our taxpayers are asking for is transparency, openness, and honesty by this administration, and it starts with this EY report," Waguespack said.
The special meeting has been scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. At least 26 alders must attend for the meeting to proceed.
The Mayor's office said the budget plan for 2026 includes $200 million dollars in savings for the city – including $80 million in savings recommended by the EY report, and they are scheduling a subject matter hearing on Friday so alders can ask questions publicly about anything unclear in the report, which would preclude the need for a special City Council meeting on Monday.