Department of Public Health
Change Highlights and Context
- The 7.5% drop in overall departmental appropriations is primarily driven by the elimination of American Rescue Plan federal funds. In 2022 CDPH received a $151 million ARP investment appropriation, which has been eliminated in the 2023 budget.
- CDPH is listed in the Recovery Plan Exhibit as the parent department for nine of the city’s Chicago Recovery Plan pandemic relief programs, detailed below, the most Recovery Plan programs of any city department. CDPH’s Recovery Plan programs were budgeted using both American Rescue Plan investment funds and general obligation bond funds. The 2023 budget does not include ARP funding for CDPH, and the bond-funded programs are not individually itemized in the city budget, meaning it is unclear which CDPH Recovery Plan programs were fully funded for their entire lifespan in the 2022 budget, which will continue to be funded in 2023 (and with what funding), and which will not continue in 2023.
- CDPH’s Delegate Agencies appropriation, which covers funds granted out to third-party service providers, increased from $86 million in 2022 to $119.5 million in 2023, a 39% increase. The Professional and Technical Services (outside contracting) appropriation increased 2.2%, up $13.8 million in 2023 to a total of $643.8 million.
- CDPH’s staffing growth is almost entirely grant-funded. Of the total net increase of 241 positions, locally-funded headcount increase by only nine positions, while grant-funded headcount increased by a net 230 positions.
Civilian Office of Police Accountability
COPA is the city’s investigatory body for several broad categories of police misconduct, including excessive force, death in custody, domestic violence and improper search and seizure accusations. COPA only has investigatory authority over its specifically assigned categories of wrongdoing; all other accusations are investigated by the Chicago Police Department’s internal affairs bureau. A breakdown of which issues fall within COPA’s remit and which remain with internal affairs can be found on COPA’s website.
Change Highlights and Context
- COPA’s relatively small budget increase was primarily driven by personnel costs, with a net increase of four full-time positions budgeted.
- Consent Decree spending declined 12%, down $131,000 in the 2023 budget for a total appropriation of $965,000.
Chicago Police Board
The Chicago Police Board is an appointed body that rules on disciplinary recommendations brought by the Police Department or the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The board is a quasi-judicial body, not an investigatory department. It is the second-smallest department in the City of Chicago, by both budget appropriation and staff headcount.
