-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Lightfoot plans to increase crisis intervention training for police and firefighters and create a plan for public agencies to coordinate with one another as well as mental health providers when responding to emergency calls, the mayor’s office said Thursday. Lightfoot also announced creation of a new position, the Victim Services Coordinator, who will be tasked with connecting residents with city and community trauma-response services after incidents.
The efforts are included under the $9.3 million expansion of the city’s mental health services budget.
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER