2023 Budget Planning Kicks Off With Public Engagement Forums
Chicago residents and community leaders encouraged to provide feedback during the City’s annual budget process
CHICAGO — Today, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) announced the City’s annual series of Budget Engagement Forums, where Chicago residents and community leaders are invited to share their priorities regarding City services. The forums will include an opportunity to have a dialogue with the Mayor, Budget Director, and other City department representatives.
"Last year’s pandemic recovery budget, planned with invaluable input from our residents, community leaders, and labor organizations enabled us to provide ongoing support to impacted Chicago residents where they needed it most, resulting in more than $1.9 billion in key investments,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “In planning the 2023 budget, our values of equity and inclusion will continue to guide us in assuring that our budget works for all of our 77 neighborhoods.”
Each public engagement forum will begin with presentations from Budget Director Susie Park and other City leaders, followed with small roundtable sessions, and public comment. OBM will also provide an update on last year’s Responsive Initiatives that provided specific programs and services responsive to community engagement feedback. Participants in the forum will have an opportunity to provide input and ask questions.
“Our budget is planned based on what the people of Chicago need. The input that we receive from residents and community stakeholders alike is vital to our budget planning process,” said Susie Park, Budget Director. “As we begin this year’s budget cycle, I am hopeful that we can maintain the high level of resident participation and engagement that we’ve seen in years past.”
Feedback from the forums will be incorporated into the 2023 Responsive Initiatives, developed from the public report published by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) Great Cities Institute, detailing the data collected from public input. Once finalized, these inputs will be presented with the 2023 Budget Recommendations. This sequence ensures a clear and transparent process for how the City plans to incorporate the community engagement feedback into the budget and City operations.
The public will have three opportunities to participate in the Budget Engagement Forums on July 21, 23, and 30. The forums will occur at venues located throughout the city (schedule, registration links, and locations below.)
Doors open an hour before the forums begin to allow participants time to attend the City Resource Fair where representatives from the City’s departments and sister agencies will be available to answer questions and provide information on City services and programs.
The Budget Engagement Forums will be live-streamed on the City of Chicago’s social media channels. For residents unable to attend an in-person forum, an online version of the roundtable exercise will be made available beginning July 21, found on the 2023 Budget site at Chicago.gov/2023budget.
BUDGET ENGAGEMENT FORUM I
Thursday, July 21 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Kennedy-King College
6301 South Halsted Street
BUDGET ENGAGEMENT FORUM II
Saturday, July 23 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Malcolm X College
1900 West Jackson Boulevard
BUDGET ENGEGEMENT FORUM III
Saturday, July 30 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Harry S. Truman College
1145 West Wilson Avenue
To register for the forums, please access links above or go to Chicago.gov/2023budget. Pre-registration is requested but not required. ASL and live captioning will be available. If you require language interpretation or any other accommodation, please contact communityengagement@cityofchicago.org by Monday, July 18.
Information on community engagement outcomes and information on the upcoming budget forums can also be found at Chicago.gov/2023budget.
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