The Board of Ethics administers Chicago’s Governmental Ethics and Campaign Financing Ordinances. It is one of the city’s smallest departments, with a small staff assisting an appointed board.

Departmental Highlights

Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2025 Budget

	2025 Budgeted	2026 Proposed	Net Change	Percent Change	Average Annual Rate of Change (2011-2025)	Inflation-adjusted Rate of Change (2011-2024)
Appropriations	$985,480	$925,597	-$59,883	-6.1%	4.6%	2.1%
Positions & FTEs	8	8	0	0.0%	1.0%	NA

• Salaries and wages are down roughly -$68,000 (-7.4%), the largest single-category reduction in BoE’s appropriations, and the only change in appropriations larger than $10,000 from the previous year.
• There were no budgeted position changes at BoE. Headcount and budgeted titles remained the same as the previous year.
• From February through September of 2025, the months for which the city released full-time position vacancy data, BoE averaged a 35.9% vacancy rate, much higher than the citywide average of 11.2%; however, due to the department’s small size, a single vacancy equates to a 12.5% vacancy rate. 

Historical Context

Overall funding and staffing levels for the Board of Ethics have remained fairly consistent for many years. From 2011-2025 the department’s appropriations grew at an average rate of 4.6% annually, or 2.1% adjusted for inflation, compared to a citywide average rate of 8.3% (inflation-adjusted 4.4%). 

Over the past three complete budget years for which local fund actuals/encumbrances data is available, BoE spent on average 89.7% of its locally funded budget, compared to the citywide average 86.4% local fund spend.

Staffing levels at BoE have remained unchanged since 2017, with the department at a consistent eight positions budgeted.

From February through September of 2025, the months for which the city released full-time position vacancy data, BoE averaged a 35.9% vacancy rate, much higher than the citywide average of 11.2%; however, due to the department’s small size, a single vacancy equates to a 12.5% vacancy rate. 

Two of the department’s budgeted full-time positions were persistent vacancies, meaning that the same title/division/section/subsection combination was vacant for all eight months of available data: one vacancy each in the Coordinator of Special Projects and Legal Counsel titles.

Budgeted Position Changes

There were no budgeted position changes at BoE. Headcount and budgeted titles remained the same as the previous year. 

Appropriations

BoE is entirely locally-funded in this year’s budget proposal, with all appropriations coming from the Corporate Fund. 

Largest Appropriations

As with most departments, personnel costs make up the bulk of BoE appropriations, with salaries and wages on payroll by far the largest expense category. 

In 2024, the most recent complete budget year for which local fund actuals and encumbrances data is available, BoE spent 86.8% of its locally-funded budget. 

Change from Previous Year

Salaries and wages are down roughly -$68,000 (-7.4%), the largest single-category reduction in BoE’s appropriations, and the only change in appropriations larger than $10,000 from the previous year.