That would appear to leave the mayor with no alternative but to cobble together a budget that includes: a hefty property tax increase; an increase in ride-hailing fees; a smaller version of Emanuel’s $10 billion pension borrowing and another round of “sales tax securitization” bonds; a tax increment financing surplus; and, perhaps, cuts that include permanently eliminating the 3,000 vacancies that existed at the time she ordered her hiring freeze.

For tax and tech wonks.

Federal authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the Rev. Leon Finney, Jr., a clout-heavy Chicago minister and longtime affordable housing advocate, according to documents obtained this week by WBEZ.

The decision in Retirement Board of the Firemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund v. Chicago stands to impact state grant intercept requests filed with state Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s office by all four of the city’s pension funds.

Inaccurate data prevented the inspector general from making a thorough assessment. But the results he did produce were, nevertheless, alarming for a department charged with overseeing 425 city buildings, 10,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment and purchasing new vehicles while maintaining old ones.

The department known around City Hall as “2FM” did not meet the industry standard of at least 95% “fleet availability” in 2017, according to the audit.

Even more troubling: Only 12.9% of preventive maintenance was performed in a timely manner in 2017.