Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago - October 23, 2013
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Source: Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago
63108
JOURNAL--CITY COUNCIL--CHICAGO
10/23/2013
My budget will take another 230 Million Dollars out of that structural deficit by building on the solid progress we have made in changing the way Chicago works.
This budget will mark the third year in a row that we have balanced the citys finances without raising property, sales or gasoline taxes. For the third year in a row, were actually adding money to the rainy day fund -- and I just signed an executive order ensuring we do it every year going forward. For the third year in a row, we dont employ any gimmicks or raid long-term reserves to balance the budget, as has been done in the past. And for a third year in a row, were increasing investments in city services and programs for our kids.
To balance our budget for the past three years without any increase in property, sales or gas taxes was only possible by changing the way Chicago does its business.
We have reduced our structural deficit by making city government smaller, smarter, and simpler. Weve coupled necessary reforms with improved services so city government works beUer for all our residents.
Together, we have overcome decades of debate and deferral on key issues. We now enjoy a rapidly growing food truck industry, a nationally renowned bike-sharing program, new protected bike lanes that represent 20 percent of the nations total urban network, and a booming tech sector that is bringing thousands of new jobs and hundreds of new companies to the city.
Just this week, we opened the completely rebuilt Red Line south -- turning a long-neglected part of our transit system into a world-class rail line.
In short, we are making tough choices. It is paying noticeable dividends. More residents now are moving back to Chicago after decades of flight. Its a vote of confidence in the decisions we made and the future we hold together.
I believe that all of us here, regardless of our differences, share a common vision for Chicago. We all want a city with thriving neighborhoods; a prosperous economy that offers opportunity to all; a strong public education system that prepares our kids for the future; and a place where people enjoy the same level of safety no matter where they live.
Achieving this vision requires telling the truth, making the tough choices and hard decisions.
It req uires constantly challenging the policies and practices of the past. It requires embracing change as a friend and not treating it as a foe.
We took the politics out of garbage pick-up by transitioning to a grid-based system and reinvested those savings to finally provide curbside recycling in every neighborhood of the city without charging a new fee. Just this week we are rolling out the final carts -- ending a decade of debate and deferral.
We partnered with federally-qualified health care providers to manage our community health clinics, and the results are impressive. In the first half of this year, our health care
