City Budget Passes 38-12

The most "no" votes in a long time:

• The Chicago City Council voted 38-12 today to approve Mayor Richard Daley's $6.1 billion budget proposal largely intact, but not before aldermen offered a smattering of complaints.

Complaints?

• Ald. Thomas Allen, 38th, announced he would vote against Daley's budget for the first time in his aldermanic career. Allen said the spending plan would fail to uphold the council's pledge to maintain at least $400 million in parking meter lease money in a long-term reserve fund to replace the parking meter proceeds the city lost.

Daley will have spend over $270 million of the $400 million in "long-term reserve" money. Remember, this is a largish portion of the money that is supposed to replace 75 YEARS worth of meter revenue - and two-thirds of it is gone in a single year.

• Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th, chairman of the City Council's Budget Committee, applauded the mayor's proposal for maintaining services without raising taxes or fees. The use of city reserves makes sense, Austin said, while referencing Daley's pledge to replenish the funds at a later date.

And how is Daley going to "replenish" the money? His goose laying the golden eggs is getting a wee bit tired. Oh yeah, he'll just raise taxes!

• Ald. Robert Fioretti, 2nd, took issue with Daley's plan to use $35 million to give Chicago homeowners property tax relief, saying it's misplaced given the city's financial distress.

Bob, relax. It's a bribe to the taxpayers. Too bad there's less and less of them lately.

And when Daley finds money, he spends it even faster!

• The Daley administration on Monday attempted to address some concerns about the budget by using $1.5 million in newly anticipated revenue that will result from a court settlement to restore funding in several areas.
  
  Under that plan, which Moore contends does not go far enough, $600,000 would go to neighborhood organizations — mostly chambers of commerce — to promote economic development.
  
  Another $200,000 would go to pay psychiatrists who work at the city’s mental health clinics, in part to restore some services. Another $500,000 would go to substance abuse treatment.
  
  The rest, $200,000, would be used for tourism efforts, an area where the mayor initially proposed cutting $1 million.

Looking real bad Richie. Real bad.