CITY OF CHICAGO – COMMISSION ON HUMAN RELATIONS

CITY OF CHICAGO – COMMISSION ON HUMAN RELATIONS

  1. Select a local unit of government to study – a department or agency of the city of Cook County governments or a suburban unit of government.
  2. Begin by finding out the answers to the final questions listed below and then write an essay similar to the studies within the Blueprint of Chicago Government: 1989, Crazy Quilt of Government or Key to Local Government in Chicago and Cook County.
  1. Begin early as there may be problems getting data. Begin with the UIC Library and the municipal section of the Harold Washington Library downtown. Many of the documents are now on official government web sites as well.
  1. Get basic data such as budget numbers and personnel before beginning interviews with departmental officials.
  1. Attach key pages of original documents (or Xerox of them) to your paper. Do not attach entire documents but only critical sections.
  1. Using all the information write a general paper like those in the Blueprint book. The end result should look like the article on the South Cook County Mosquito Abatement District.
  1. If you run into problems set up a meeting with me or your Teaching Assistant, immediately. Don’t wait until the last minute.
  1. Purpose and Function of Agency
  1. What is the legal basis in either city ordinances (printed in the Municipal Code of the City of Chicago http://www.amlegal.com/library/il/chicago.shtml) or state law printed in the State Statutes (i.e. law books)? (You will need to copy and paste this from the Municipal Code or state law.)
  1. What are the current programs of the agency? (These are usually listed in agency annual reports, the Program Budget of the City of Chicago of Cook County, or the Comptroller’s Report. They may be amplified in news reports and direct interviews with the agency personnel.) Much of the information found in annual reports can be found through the City department web pages: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts.html

Organization and Administration

  1. Develop an organization chart and a list of the key executive personnel of the department. For the current personnel, the names and titles of the individuals are needed. (These can be found in department reports, directories of employees, and to some extent in previous documents like department annual reports and Blueprint.)
  1. How does the Mayor or top official of the local government control the department? This usually has to do with the positions directly appointed by the Mayor with or without the City Council’s consent.
  1. List the number of budgeted positions in the department or agency for the last three years including the current budget year? (These can be found in the city budget or similar document.) http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/obm/provdrs/city_budg/svcs/budget_documents.htm
  1. What are the Interdepartmental Connections required for the unit of government to accomplish it purposes? (i.e. Who does it have to work with in order to get goals accomplished?)