The Department of Assets, Information and Services was created in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s first budget by combining the existing Department of Innovation and Technology (DOIT) and Department of Fleet and Facility Management (2FM). A 2022 BGA Policy analysis showed budgetary efficiencies and savings in appropriations budgeted for by both departments pre-merger.
2FM was itself created in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s first budget by the merger of the Department of Fleet Management with most of the responsibilities of the Department of General Services; the historical overview in this snapshot includes data from the Department of Fleet Services in the 2011 budget, the combined 2FM in the 2012-2019 budgets, and the combined AIS in the 2020 budgets onward.
Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2023 Budget
| 2023 Budgeted | 2024 Proposed (2FM & DoTI) | Net Change | Percent Change | |
| Appropriations | $559,915,375 | $610,669,083 | $50,753,708 | 9.1% |
| Positions & FTEs | 1301 | 1273 | -28 | -2.2% |
Departmental Highlights
- The proposed de-merger of 2FM and DoTI in the 2024 budget increases the overall appropriation costs for the two departments roughly 9.1%, but eliminates 28 positions, an overall staff reduction of -2.2%.
- The majority of staffing reductions are on the IT side of the ledger, where a large number of titles have been reduced by one or two positions, and the number of IT Director positions reduced from eight to three.
- The largest non-personnel appropriations for the new 2FM are primarily infrastructure and fleet-related, while the largest DoTI appropriations are outside contracting and licensing of software.
- The largest increases in appropriations over the previous year’s budget are an additional $80.2 million for electricity costs and an additional $15.4 million for Millenium Park operations, both 2FM categories. Millennium Park costs are a significant proportional increase as well as net, up 161.7% from the previous year.
Historical Context
Departmental budgets and staffing from 2011-2023 show jumps at merger years: in 2012, when the Department of Fleet Management was merged with the Department of General Services, and again to a lesser degree in 2020 when the Department of Innovation and Technology was merged with the Department of Fleet & Facilities Management.
AIS’s budget was boosted in 2022 by a $10 million American Rescue Plan appropriation from federal pandemic relief funds, and to a lesser degree in 2023 by $1.8 million in ARP funds.
Setting aside the jump from 2011-2012, when Fleet Management merged with the much larger General Services department, the department’s budget from 2012-2023 grew at an average rate of 6.5% per year. Departmental budgets overall increased an average of 7.1% per year over the same time period, while the total city budget including Finance General appropriations grew at an average rate of 9.1% annually.
The department’s budgeted workforce grew at a rate of roughly 1.5% annually from 2012-2023. Overall budgeted positions for the city remained relatively flat across the same time period, with minor year-to-year fluctuations averaging out to an overall growth rate of 0.7%.
The proposed de-merger of 2FM and DoTI in the 2024 budget increases the overall appropriation costs for the two departments roughly 9.1%, but eliminates 28 positions, an overall staff reduction of -2.2%.
Staffing
Overall, 2FM and IT combined budget 28 fewer full-time positions than AIS budgeted in 2023. Most of the reductions are on the IT side of the ledger, where a large number of IT-related positions have been reduced in headcount but not completely eliminated.
In addition to reduced positions and title changes for comparable roles, eliminated in the de-merged budget are positions for an architect, Manager of Telecommunications, Managing Deputy Chief Information Officer, Recovery Team Program Director, Senior User Experience Designer, and IT Architect.
Appropriations
Largest Appropriations
Most of the largest appropriations from the former AIS budget were from the 2FM side of the ledger. Of the top 10 AIS appropriation accounts, IT uses only the salaries and wages on payroll and the professional and technical service appropriations.
The remainder of AIS’s largest appropriations (now 2FM’s) are infrastructure and fleet related: electricity, office and building services, repair parts and materials, etc.
Taken on its own, the new IT department’s highest costs are predominantly contracting-related: the professional and technical services appropriation used for outside contracting, and software maintenance and licensing are the largest appropriation accounts for DoTI.
Change from Previous Year
The largest increases in appropriations over the previous year’s budget are an additional $80.2 million for electricity costs and an additional $15.4 million for Millenium Park operations, both 2FM categories. Millennium Park costs are a significant proportional increase as well as net, up 161.7% from the previous year.
