Department Budget Equity Submissions

Department of Assets Information and Services (DAIS)

Citizens across the City were able to see the same standard of maintenance regardless of the neighborhood. Utilizing the Facility Operations Maintenance Work Orders and CARE Program, AIS was able to review the work orders for repairs at every city facility by ward.  The Managing Deputy and Facility Operations Deputy were able to review the mapping of the work order sites to ensure that the work orders were distributed equitably across the City.  The impact of the program is for all citizens who visit these buildings and all City employees who work in the buildings to have the same experience.

To advance the citywide desired result around improving public health and services, AIS’s FY23 goal is increase the number of reduced carbon emission vehicles by adding 182 light duty vehicles and 182 electric vehicle charging stations. 

To advance the citywide desired result around public health and services, AIS’s FY23 goal is to include and activate solar panels on City libraries and we will target these installations in the Invest South/West communities. Our 2023 target is 10 libraries in these communities.  Where solar isn’t a viable option, alternate energy efficiency measures will be considered.

To advance the citywide desired result around contracting, AIS’s FY23 goal is increase participation in existing DPS programs, specifically through our Architectural, Engineering and Construction “AEC” bureau’s Capital Improvement Program “CIP” projects.

AIS believes that all Chicagoans should breathe air free from pollutants and have resilient and sustainable communities. AIS desired goal is to improve the overall health of the population in the City of Chicago by reducing air pollution emitted by the City’s fleet and facilities throughout the City.  Breathing good, clean, quality air is essential for optimal health. AIS is currently focusing and preparing the City to go electric.  AIS wants to successfully move forward on this goal which would contribute to lowering pollution and lessen respiratory illnesses.  By actively reducing the carbon footprint of the City’s fleet and facilities, AIS can contribute to improving air quality.  AIS recognized that communities of color were most affected by poor air quality that results in these communities having the highest level of air pollution and highest rates of respiratory illness.  AIS prioritized these communities as priorities for charging station deployment. 

AIS chosen goals were based on the department’s functionality to the City of Chicago.  AIS oversees the City’s entire fleet and facilities.  AIS recognized that vehicle and building pollutants plays a role in poor air quality specifically in communities of black and brown population.  AIS is making the effort to actively reduce the carbon footprint of the City’s fleet and facilities while also addressing racial equity to communities where it is greatly needed.  Communities of color have expressed that they feel abandoned and unheard when it comes to City initiatives and improvements.  The sentiment was enforced through AIS’ community engagement feedback.  AIS recognized that a stronger focus needed to be placed on these communities.  AIS has identified communities of color as priorities where these initiatives will be rolled out.

 

Department of Administrative Hearings (DOAH)

DOAH, in its efforts to advance racial equity, appointed 6 new ALJs in 2021. The breakdown for that appointment is as follows: 5 African Americans and 1 Latinx Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). As we continue in our hiring efforts, our focus will be on recruiting from the Latinx and Asian community. This focused effort is based on information we received from the 2020 census data and residents’ usage of Language Line, over-the-phone interpretation services, in our proceedings. The top three language requests are as follows: 87% Spanish, 5% Mandarin and 2% Polish. Mandarin exceeded the previous #2 slot from Polish. This indicator for DOAH is that the need for Asian ALJs is now more evident.

To advance the citywide desired result around community engagement, DOAH will have community outreach teams meet with Aldermanic offices and community groups to explain the role of DOAH in the administrative hearing process. DOAH gives Chicagoans equitable access to the court/justice system and wants to demystify the hearing process by educating the City’s residents on the administrative hearing process. 

To advance the citywide desired result around lifelong learning, DOAH will continue to fund and promote the Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Service (CARPLS) to ALL low-income respondents who cannot afford an attorney’s advice or guidance. CARPLS provides, for those who qualify, practical “how to” advice regarding the preparation of motions and presentation of their case at their administrative hearing.     

To advance the citywide desired result around workforce diversity, DOAH will develop new outreach programs to promote diversity when appointing new Administrative Law Judges. This will include targeted outreach to the various Latinx and Asian bar/alumni associations with “meet and greet” events.

A: The community outreach program is based on the influx of calls received asking questions about the administrative hearing process, about information required at hearings, and services available for legal advice or overcoming language barriers. The community outreach program will advance the outcomes the City is striving to meet by making information available to the community so that they are better equipped to appear and present their case at their hearing before an ALJ.

B: DOAH observed a decrease in the number of CARPLS consultations over the past two years, even though CARPLS continued to offer full services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The availability of this service assists in breaking down perceived barriers to the administrative hearing process and promotes equal access and understanding of the process to residents and gives them the necessary tools to present their defense at their administrative hearing.

C: We selected the goal of recruiting diverse ALJs to ensure the ALJs understand the broad range of backgrounds and experiences of the respondents coming before them, which will promote fair and impartial adjudication of the City’s ordinances. Increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the ALJs is also important so that the ALJs are reflective of the population they serve. This will ultimately promote several Citywide desired results including workforce diversity. 

 

Animal Care & Control (CACC)

Chicago Animal Care & Control revised the Adoption Screening Form (Now Pet Adoption Questionnaire) in 2021/2022.  The form no longer asks for and requires applicants to provide landlord information, or asks for family member statistics (age and gender of everyone in the household).  The questionnaire is an open discussion based forms for adopters to ask more of the questions as opposed to CACC staff/volunteers to ask questions.

To advance the citywide desired result of Lifelong Learning. Chicago Animal Care and Control’s FY23 goal is to continue to provide resources to residents who do not have the ability to handle complex animal related situations in their home; if a resident can not keep their pet, CACC is providing resources such as low cost Veterinary care referrals, pet food, and temporary housing referrals to those in need so they can keep their pet.  

To advance the citywide desired result of ensuring all Chicagoans gain meaningful knowledge and skills to thrive, CACC’s FY23 goal is to ensure that pet owners in several community areas have access to pet vaccines, microchips, pet food, and pet adoption events. 

This is actually something CACC has been working on over the years.  CACC’s goal is to keep pets in their homes with their families.  We will continue (with our partners) to provide as much as we can to residents who want to keep their pets in their homes.

 

Aviation (CDA)

CDA’s goal last year was to increase contracting and small business outreach participation by MBEs and WBEs.  Our biggest win in that regard was achieved through concentrating our time and other investments on hosting  the Airport Minority Advisory Council’s 37th annual Airport Business Diversity Conference this June 20th through the 23rd. The theme this year  was “Redefining Aviation Opportunities Together,” i.e., reimagining how we do business to keep diversity and inclusion in the forefront. The opportunities in aviation are endless, and AMAC is dedicated to advancing the full participation of minorities and women in employment and contracting opportunities throughout the aviation industry. CDA targeted the Chicago DBE and ACDBE community by direct invitations to the event. By participating in the conference, Chicago area firms were able to meet with representatives from around the country and the world. These interactions both provided new opportunities around the country and around the world for the Chicago firms and enhanced Chicago’s reputation as a leader in aviation.

As a result of participating in the ERJLC was an increased focus on including individuals in the work at Chicago’s airports. That entailed an increased focus on diversity on the CDA team  and assisting other government agencies and the private companies that CDA works with in identifying, recruiting and supporting job candidates from all of Chicago’s neighborhoods. By increasing our intentionality in our own  hiring, and encouraging our public and  private partners to do so, we have begun to move towards including all of Chicago in the opportunities at our airports.

To advance the citywide desired result of ensuring all Chicagoans are connected to employment, training, and advancement through the City of Chicago, CDA will increase the number of Chicagoans employed from socio-economically disadvantage areas, establish new and strengthen existing partnership to strengthen our workforce pipeline.    Equity can only be advanced through inclusion. With respect to municipal government, inclusion means active, effective outreach and engagement. CDA’s goal for FY2023, therefore, is to bring more new participants to its MBE/WBE/DBE and workforce outreach events.

To advance the citywide desired result of [fill in the blank with copied text from Worksheet A], Aviation’s FY23 goal is equipping vendors with resources to bid and post-award, Increase M/WBE participation in CDA contracts.

As stated above, equity can only be advanced through inclusion. With respect to municipal government, inclusion means active, effective outreach and engagement. CDA’s goal for FY2023, therefore, is to bring more new participants to its MBE/WBE/DBE and workforce outreach events.

Our efforts in this regard will, of course, include broader advertising of our outreach events but will also include working with the assist agencies so that we are all more intentional with respect to expanding our networks to reach people and firms that have not participated in the past. If this means that CDA needs to hold to more events in more locations around the City, we will do so. CDA will also be adding questions to its surveys to determine

On the workforce side, we have learned from our past efforts that it is never too soon to start reaching out to children. They are the workforce of the future and if we want them to think about airports and aviation, we need to have them start thinking about it now. CDA is going to team with educators from daycare through college to engage and include Chicago's children in the pipeline leading to aviation and airport careers. Our plan includes visiting schools to speak with and provide age-appropriate learning materials to the students. Pre-k and Kindergarteners may receive coloring books while Fourth and Fifth Graders may visit O'Hare and Midway to see the many different activities that take place there. High school and college students will be shown paths to part-time jobs and internships that can lead to full-time employment in the industry. Our goal is to have all of Chicago's children understand that O'Hare and Midway are their airports and can be their runways to the future. CDA will be working with Chicago’s First Lady to develop both our education outreach plan and seek approval for federal funding to implement the program.

 

Board of Ethics

We did work to ensure our training and educational materials are straightforward and easily accessible for all users.  We also engaged in community interaction to answer questions and to explain our work and how it promotes fair government for all Chicagoans.

Further, over the past year, we have received over 100 inquiries and complaints from the public. This represents a doubling  of such inquiries and complaints received compared with prior years.  While our law does not permit us to track the race/ethnic background of those who contact us, the nature of many of the complaints suggests that they are from historically marginalized neighborhoods. We believe that our community outreach efforts and increased social media presence account for this development.

To advance the citywide desired result around data, BOE’s FY23 goal is to continue and expand its practice of posting all Board related opinions and memoranda, training materials and educational materials on its website.  The Board also tweets out information. We plan to reach out to all 50 alderpersons to offer to participate in their community meetings for the purpose of explaining our work and the services we provide to the public. 

To advance the citywide desired result around community engagement, BOE’s FY23 goal is to continue its practice of meeting with community groups and encouraging the public to participate in the Open Session of the Board’s monthly meetings.  

To advance the citywide desired result around workforce diversity, BOE’s FY23 goal is to continue and expand its practice of providing ethics training and educational materials. We have one open position in our department at this time.  That position had been filled by a member of a minority group and we will be mindful of that when we begin the hiring process.

Our choice of goals reflects the means through which we believe we can best work towards racial equity, given the nature of our agency’s work, which does not per se involve racial equity, as government ethics and avoiding conflicts of interests is a universal goal.  Given the nature of our work, we strive to ensure all Chicagoans that we are dedicated to consistent ethics education and enforcement.

 

Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP)

The implementation of BACP’s revised funding strategy for neighborhood supports for business development programs that serve local entrepreneurs. The $5M program provides grants to chambers of commerce, economic, and business development organizations working to drive economic growth in communities in Chicago through placed based strategies, training, and technical assistance. After a thorough program evaluation, engagement with local businesses and existing grantees, recommendations for transparent and equitable funding methodology resulted in the shift in the funding model. In designing the program, racial equity was embedded in the program design and framework. We leveraged low-moderate income (LMI) data along with business density to determine geographical areas/communities that are prioritized. Leveraging LMI data was as a funding criterion was based in research, including a local study (Assessing Chicago’s Ecosystem) that indicated LMI community areas lacked significant resources and tools to support local businesses and budding entrepreneurs. Many of the zip codes outlined in the study had an LMI of 50% of less with demographics comprising largely Black and LatinX populations. We also leveraged research and best practices from other cities to help inform future strategies. We conducted ongoing surveys and focus groups to gather input from service providers. This revised funding structure allowed BACP the opportunity to make strides towards equitably funding communities that serve traditionally disadvantaged entrepreneurs. This was done by setting a funding floor for generalized business assistance of $40,000 for all delegate agencies in good standing. Delegate agencies providing hyperlocal support to community areas comprised largely of Black and LatinX populations were providing additional funding of $5-15k to address the barriers these communities continue to face in successfully running a business. Additionally, BACP launched 8 Chicago Business Centers, a new program neighborhood resource hub, providing business licensing support, professional services, and access to capital to underserved populations, specifically Black, LatinX and immigrant-owned businesses serving over 1,500 people. These centers also received an investment of $900,000 for facility renovations and improvements. This represents a total investment of nearly $3M in 2022

To advance the citywide desired result around community engagement, BACP’s FY23 goal is to assess its current public facing educational materials and update materials, where needed to include language-inclusive communication that can aid in assisting existing and new business owners with navigating city processes and small business supports. This will happen in coordination with the Chicago Business Centers, small business resource hubs located in communities throughout the city to assist entrepreneurs.

To advance the citywide desired result around economic development, BACP’s FY23 goal is to launch a new capacity building program that offers individualized counseling, back-office support and technology enablement opportunities.

To advance the citywide desired result around contracting, BACP’s FY23 goal is to launch a new minority and women-owned supplier development program, that will provide support to prospective suppliers with the following:

  • In coordination with DPS, sharing information on available contract opportunities
  • Providing professional services support with developing proposals by individualized counseling and workshops
  • Providing assistance and mentorship for existing suppliers needing support navigating city processes

We have a robust engagement strategy that includes feedback from clients, stakeholders and philanthropic partners. The engagements include roundtable discussions with key stakeholders, individualized meetings with advocacy and advisory groups, including those supporting the communities we’re targeting, other municipalities and nonprofit leaders doing similar work and businesses and organizations that would be impacted by our program

 

Budget & Management (OBM)

The implementation of BACP’s revised funding strategy for neighborhood supports for business development programs that serve local entrepreneurs. The $5M program provides grants to chambers of commerce, economic, and business development organizations working to drive economic growth in communities in Chicago through placed based strategies, training, and technical assistance. After a thorough program evaluation, engagement with local businesses and existing grantees, recommendations for transparent and equitable funding methodology resulted in the shift in the funding model. In designing the program, racial equity was embedded in the program design and framework. We leveraged low-moderate income (LMI) data along with business density to determine geographical areas/communities that are prioritized. Leveraging LMI data was as a funding criterion was based in research, including a local study (Assessing Chicago’s Ecosystem) that indicated LMI community areas lacked significant resources and tools to support local businesses and budding entrepreneurs. Many of the zip codes outlined in the study had an LMI of 50% of less with demographics comprising largely Black and LatinX populations. We also leveraged research and best practices from other cities to help inform future strategies. We conducted ongoing surveys and focus groups to gather input from service providers. This revised funding structure allowed BACP the opportunity to make strides towards equitably funding communities that serve traditionally disadvantaged entrepreneurs. This was done by setting a funding floor for generalized business assistance of $40,000 for all delegate agencies in good standing. Delegate agencies providing hyperlocal support to community areas comprised largely of Black and LatinX populations were providing additional funding of $5-15k to address the barriers these communities continue to face in successfully running a business. Additionally, BACP launched 8 Chicago Business Centers, a new program neighborhood resource hub, providing business licensing support, professional services, and access to capital to underserved populations, specifically Black, LatinX and immigrant-owned businesses serving over 1,500 people. These centers also received an investment of $900,000 for facility renovations and improvements. This represents a total investment of nearly $3M in 2022

To advance the citywide desired result around community engagement, BACP’s FY23 goal is to assess its current public facing educational materials and update materials, where needed to include language-inclusive communication that can aid in assisting existing and new business owners with navigating city processes and small business supports. This will happen in coordination with the Chicago Business Centers, small business resource hubs located in communities throughout the city to assist entrepreneurs.

To advance the citywide desired result around economic development, BACP’s FY23 goal is to launch a new capacity building program that offers individualized counseling, back-office support and technology enablement opportunities.

To advance the citywide desired result around contracting, BACP’s FY23 goal is to launch a new minority and women-owned supplier development program, that will provide support to prospective suppliers with the following:

  • In coordination with DPS, sharing information on available contract opportunities
  • Providing professional services support with developing proposals by individualized counseling and workshops
  • Providing assistance and mentorship for existing suppliers needing support navigating city processes

We have a robust engagement strategy that includes feedback from clients, stakeholders and philanthropic partners. The engagements include roundtable discussions with key stakeholders, individualized meetings with advocacy and advisory groups, including those supporting the communities we’re targeting, other municipalities and nonprofit leaders doing similar work and businesses and organizations that would be impacted by our program

 

Buildings

The implementation of BACP’s revised funding strategy for neighborhood supports for business development programs that serve local entrepreneurs. The $5M program provides grants to chambers of commerce, economic, and business development organizations working to drive economic growth in communities in Chicago through placed based strategies, training, and technical assistance. After a thorough program evaluation, engagement with local businesses and existing grantees, recommendations for transparent and equitable funding methodology resulted in the shift in the funding model. In designing the program, racial equity was embedded in the program design and framework. We leveraged low-moderate income (LMI) data along with business density to determine geographical areas/communities that are prioritized. Leveraging LMI data was as a funding criterion was based in research, including a local study (Assessing Chicago’s Ecosystem) that indicated LMI community areas lacked significant resources and tools to support local businesses and budding entrepreneurs. Many of the zip codes outlined in the study had an LMI of 50% of less with demographics comprising largely Black and LatinX populations. We also leveraged research and best practices from other cities to help inform future strategies. We conducted ongoing surveys and focus groups to gather input from service providers. This revised funding structure allowed BACP the opportunity to make strides towards equitably funding communities that serve traditionally disadvantaged entrepreneurs. This was done by setting a funding floor for generalized business assistance of $40,000 for all delegate agencies in good standing. Delegate agencies providing hyperlocal support to community areas comprised largely of Black and LatinX populations were providing additional funding of $5-15k to address the barriers these communities continue to face in successfully running a business. Additionally, BACP launched 8 Chicago Business Centers, a new program neighborhood resource hub, providing business licensing support, professional services, and access to capital to underserved populations, specifically Black, LatinX and immigrant-owned businesses serving over 1,500 people. These centers also received an investment of $900,000 for facility renovations and improvements. This represents a total investment of nearly $3M in 2022

To advance the citywide desired result around community engagement, BACP’s FY23 goal is to assess its current public facing educational materials and update materials, where needed to include language-inclusive communication that can aid in assisting existing and new business owners with navigating city processes and small business supports. This will happen in coordination with the Chicago Business Centers, small business resource hubs located in communities throughout the city to assist entrepreneurs.

To advance the citywide desired result around economic development, BACP’s FY23 goal is to launch a new capacity building program that offers individualized counseling, back-office support and technology enablement opportunities.

To advance the citywide desired result around contracting, BACP’s FY23 goal is to launch a new minority and women-owned supplier development program, that will provide support to prospective suppliers with the following:

  • In coordination with DPS, sharing information on available contract opportunities
  • Providing professional services support with developing proposals by individualized counseling and workshops
  • Providing assistance and mentorship for existing suppliers needing support navigating city processes

We have a robust engagement strategy that includes feedback from clients, stakeholders and philanthropic partners. The engagements include roundtable discussions with key stakeholders, individualized meetings with advocacy and advisory groups, including those supporting the communities we’re targeting, other municipalities and nonprofit leaders doing similar work and businesses and organizations that would be impacted by our program