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Dear Neighbors,
This is Nick, your 1st Ward Chief of Staff, highlighting some recent reports by the office of the outgoing Inspector General, Deborah Witzburg (who many of us will miss!).
IG Witzburg recently testified before the Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight on the OIG's Q1 Report. She raised concerns about the Department of Law’s failure to comply with recently amended ordinances requiring cooperation with investigations and the timely provision of documents. Staff will discuss this matter with Ald. La Spata upon his return from leave, as ensuring proper oversight of investigations into fraud, waste, and other violations is essential to maintaining efficient and ethical governance.
The OIG also published a fascinating audit of the City’s Department of Finance. During the 2026 budget deliberations on debt, we successfully requested that the DoF provide the same data on outstanding debt that had been shared with the Chicago Sun-Times through a FOIA request. Analyzing the City’s debt structure has since enabled staff to develop stronger, more informed budget proposals, which Ald. La Spata has authorized us to share with his colleagues.
This year, we are starting budget season quite early, and are seeking efficient revenue sources that do not involve taxes, fines, and fees. Please consider writing your State Representative to ask them about restoring Chicago’s share of the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) to its prior levels. This is the fund that distributes income taxes to local governments, and the current State LGDF ratio is potentially shorting the City by several hundred million dollars annually. We are researching this further with budget advocates and other offices.
Please also take a moment to take the OIG's listening tour survey on how city government could improve. For more on how we think through the budget, check out the 1st Ward Budget Blog.
Sincerely,
Nick
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