Chicago’s historically short budget deliberations are creeping longer and longer, but still wrap up much faster than most major U.S. cities.
Geoffrey Cubbage
Geoffrey Cubbage is a policy and budget analyst focusing on the Illinois General Assembly and Chicago's City Council. Prior to joining the Better Government Association in 2022, Geoffrey served as Director of Policy and Economic Development for Chicago's 40th Ward.
Posted inResearch & Analysis
Lightfoot’s Outgoing Executive Orders Defy Precedent; Court Conflicts with Council
Executive-office pens in the City of Chicago saw a flurry of activity during the transition from Lori Lightfoot’s mayoralty to Brandon Johnson’s. The outgoing mayor issued thirteen executive orders during […]
Posted inOpenGov
How to Submit Public Comment at Chicago’s City Council
Chicago’s City Council allows public comment at all of its meetings, including meetings of its committees. There are multiple ways to submit public comment, but each has a specific application process and limited window of time for those applications.
Posted inOpenGov
Watching Your Government: What to Expect at a Meeting of Chicago’s City Council
For first-time watchers, Chicago’s City Council can seem incomprehensible. Most of the business is done in a routine, rapid-fire succession of votes and gavel raps, punctuated by repetitions of the […]
Posted inOpenGov
How to Introduce Legislation to Chicago City Council: A Step-by-Step Guide
We typically think of new laws as being written and introduced by elected officials, but thanks to a quirk of Illinois law and Chicago City Council rules, any individual can […]
Posted inPerspectives
Cubbage: City Council Has New Committees. Now It’s Time to Reform Committee Staffing.
The City Council has an opportunity to eliminate the practice of letting individual committee chairs control the hiring of their staff.
Posted inResearch & Analysis
Chicago’s City Council Spends One-Third of Its Meetings on Honorary Speeches
Chicago’s City Council is off to a slow start in 2023: Only about 40% of its time in session so far this year – or about two of every five […]
Posted inResearch & Analysis
Analysis: Cost of Chicago Legal Judgments and Settlements
Despite improvements in budgeting for lawsuit costs under the Lightfoot administration, police settlements continue to exceed budgets, while other departments are not required to budget for payments.
Posted inPolicy
BGA Budget Hearings Snapshot: Department of Transportation, Chicago Public Library and Department of Law
Department of Transportation Change Highlights and Context Chicago Public Library Change Highlights and Context Department of Law Change Highlights and Context
Posted inPolicy
BGA Budget Hearings Snapshot: Board of Ethics and Chicago Police Department
Chicago Police Department The Chicago Police Department is by far the largest of Chicago’s departments in terms of both appropriations and personnel. In the 2023 proposal, CPD’s $1.9 billion budget […]