In a recent report, Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson suggested that the city cut several programs and subsidies to make up for the city’s billion dollar budget shortfall. Some service cuts could include free sewer service for senior citizens and subsidized water and sewer usage by certain nonprofit organizations. Other recommendations include cutting quarterly stipends for police supervisors, reducing deployment of downtown traffic aides, and reducing the number of firemen per truck.
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Also in the news…
- Preventative care measures, such as screening for diabetes and hypertension, will be free for most workers when the Affordable Care Act comes into effect on Jan. 1. However, the Act may increase costs to employers who provide health insurance until the taxpayer-subsidized insurance markets open in 2014. Those costs could be passed on to the employees.
- A wave of lawsuits by victims of foreclosure could cause even more damage to the housing market, keeping people from purchasing foreclosed homes.
- The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled in favor of John Walsh, who was sued by the developers of his Edgewater condo building after Walsh talked to a reporter about problems there at a public meeting. The court ruled that Walsh’s speech was shielded from
liability.
–Compiled by Louis McGill
Filed under: Employment/Labor, Government and Politics, Health, Housing
Tags: aldermen, budget cuts, Chicago, condo, foreclosure crisis, healthcare reform, housing crisis, inspector general, insurance, joseph ferguson, subsidies
