Government of Chicago

Organization

Generally speaking, the mayor and city departments comprise the executive branch of the city government, and the city council comprises the legislative branch. However, the mayor does have some formal legislative functions such as being the presiding officer of the council and being able to break tie votes, and informally has dominated legislative activity since the late 19th century. On the other hand, the council has oversight authority over city departments. The city treasurer and city clerk are the only other directly elected positions in the city government, and are independent from the mayor's office and the council.

City Council

Mayor

City departments and agencies

The below city departments and agencies operate as part of the executive branch, under the Office of the Mayor:

Finance and Administration

• Department of Administrative Hearings
• Department of Finance
• Department of Fleet and Facility Management
• Department of Law
• Department of Human Resources
• Department of Innovation and Technology
• Department of Procurement Services
• Office of Budget and Management

Legislative and Elections

• Board of Election Commissioners

City Development

• Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
• Department of Housing
• Department of Planning and Development

Community Services

• Board of Health
  • Department of Public Health
• Commission on Human Relations
• Department of Family and Support Services
• Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
• Public Libraries

Public Safety

• Fire Department
• Police Board
  • Civilian Office of Police Accountability
  • Police Department
• Office of Emergency Management and Communications

Regulatory

• Office of the Inspector General
• Department of Buildings
• Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection
• Chicago Animal Care and Control
• License Appeal Commission
• Board of Ethics

Infrastructure Services

Department of Aviation

• Department of Aviation
• Department of Streets and Sanitation
• Department of Transportation
• Department of Water Management

City Clerk

City Treasurer

Other city agencies

Other city-level government bodies include:

• The Chicago Board of Education, which oversees the Chicago Public Schools system, and whose members are appointed by the mayor
• The Chicago Housing Authority, a not-for-profit municipal corporation whose board of commissioners is appointed by the mayor
• The Chicago Water Department, oversees water utility. Water Commissioner is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Alderpersons. Services they handle includes: Metersave, Water Quality Reports, Sewer Regulations, Pay Water Bills Online, Conservation, Education, Chicago Water Quality, as well as, Full Payment Certifications.
• The City Council Office of Financial Analysis (COFA) was created in 2015 to provide the City Council with independent analysis of the fiscal implications of the issues before it. COFA works with the City Council's Committee on Budget and Government Operations, and applies the tools of financial analysis to budget recommendations and forecasts, the city's annual audit, proposed public-private partnership agreements or asset leases, bond rating agency actions, and other matters as requested by Alderpersons. COFA also provides an options report of potential cost-saving reforms and efficiencies.
• The Board of Trustees of the City Colleges of Chicago, whose members are appointed by the mayor with the approval of the council (except one elected student member)

Law

Chicago is a special charter municipality. The Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago is the official publication of the acts of the City Council. The Municipal Code of Chicago is the codification of Chicago's local ordinances of a general and permanent nature.

Politics

Main article: Political history of Chicago}} {{Further, Chicago-style politics

Other governments

Chicago is also part of Cook County. The Government of Cook County is primarily composed of the Board of Commissioners, other elected officials such as the Sheriff, State's Attorney, Treasurer, Board of Review, Clerk, Assessor, Recorder, Circuit Court judges and Circuit Court Clerk, as well as numerous other officers and entities. Illinois State police also operate in Chicago.

Other agencies that operate in the city of Chicago include the Chicago Transit Authority and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, both of which were created by the state government of Illinois.

The United States Postal Service operates post offices in Chicago. The main Chicago Post Office is located at 433 West Harrison Street in the Near West Side community area. The post office is the only 24-hour post office in the United States.

State government

most cabinet officers and constitutional officers of the Government of Illinois conduct a majority of their business in Chicago, with offices at the James R. Thompson Center. In 2012, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Pat Gauen argued that "in the reality of Illinois politics, [Springfield] shares de facto capital status with Chicago."

References

References

1. "City Council, Your Ward & Alderperson".
2. "Chicago Government". City of Chicago.
3. "City of Chicago :: Chicago Government".
4. Dumke, Mick. (2019-02-25). "At Chicago City Hall, the Legislative Branch Rarely Does Much Legislating".
5. "Government, City of Chicago".
6. g.angelo. (2015-09-21). "Rules of Order".
7. Office of the Mayor of Chicago. (2019). "City of Chicago 2019 Budget Overview".
8. "Chicago FPC Service".
9. "Charters, Municipal". [[Chicago Historical Society]].
10. (20 November 2013). "The Making of Chicago City Law - How It Works". [[OpenGov Foundation]] / [[YouTube]].
11. [http://docs.chicityclerk.com/journal/1990/june27_1990/june27_1990_part2.pdf Chicago City Council Journal of 27 June 1990] {{webarchive. link. (3 December 2013 , p. 17764)
12. "[http://www.chicagoneighborhoods.cc/chicago-offices.html Major Office Buildings]." ''Chicago City and Neighborhood Guide''. Retrieved on April 17, 2009.
13. "[http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_037.htm Richard Wright Immortalized on Postage] {{Webarchive. link. (2009-04-12 ." ''[[United States Postal Service]]''. April 8, 2009. Retrieved on April 17, 2009.)
14. "[http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/new_york_citys_main_post_offic.html New York City's main post office stops 24-hour service]." ''[[Associated Press]]''. Friday April 17, 2009. Retrieved on May 5, 2009.
15. Gauen, Pat. "[http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/pat-gauen/illinois-corruption-explained-the-capital-is-too-far-from-chicago/article_c38d21b7-0134-5124-b56f-3bc99a60c327.html Illinois corruption explained: the capital is too far from Chicago ]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160915191211/http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/pat-gauen/illinois-corruption-explained-the-capital-is-too-far-from-chicago/article_c38d21b7-0134-5124-b56f-3bc99a60c327.html Archive]). ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]''. Retrieved on May 26, 2016.
16. According to Gauen, "Everybody who's anybody in Illinois government has an office in Chicago." [[University of Illinois]] researcher and former member of the Illinois legislature [[Jim Nowlan]] stated "It's almost like Chicago is becoming the shadow capital of Illinois" and that "Springfield is almost become a hinterland outpost." A former director of the [[Southern Illinois University]] Paul Simon Institute for Public Affairs, Mike Lawrence, criticized state officials for spending so little time in Springfield since it estranged them from and devalued Illinois state employees in that city.Reeder, Scott. "[http://ilnews.org/2831/what-does-it-cost-taxpayers-to-pay-for-lawmakers-empty-springfield-residences/ What does it cost taxpayers to pay for lawmakers’ empty Springfield residences?]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160617094836/http://ilnews.org/2831/what-does-it-cost-taxpayers-to-pay-for-lawmakers-empty-springfield-residences/ Archive]). ''Illinois News Network''. September 11, 2014. Retrieved on May 26, 2016.