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Chicago inspector general attacks CFD uniform allowance
Excerpts from the ChicagoSunTimes.com:
Chicago taxpayers are spending $5 million annually on a uniform allowance for firefighters that functions more like an automatic cash bonus, according to Inspector General Joe Ferguson. His audit found that the allowance is not tied to actual need or usage, and instead seems to be a generous benefit with little oversight.
Four years ago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel tried to cut several union perks, including the clothing allowance, holiday pay, and premium pay for cross-trained firefighters. However, he eventually backed down in a pre-election contract that secured support from the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, which had previously backed his opponent, Gery Chico.
The new five-year contract includes an 11% pay raise over five years but removes free health care for retirees aged 55 to 65. Now, the inspector general is focusing on the uniform allowance, which is given to firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs as a yearly stipend of $1,250 or $1,500, depending on their role.
Ferguson compared Chicago’s uniform policy to other major cities like New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Dallas. While Chicago issues fewer uniforms than most cities, its annual allowance is among the highest in the country. He noted that the allowance is supposed to cover maintenance and cleaning, but there's no system in place to track how it's spent.
“Purportedly provided to pay for the annual maintenance and cleaning of uniforms, the allowance is completely unmoored from any determination of actual need or use,†Ferguson wrote. “This substantial annual stipend more closely resembles an automatic cash bonus.â€
In his audit, Ferguson reviewed over 58,000 transactions totaling $1.7 million and found that 99.9% were in line with department policies. However, he also discovered that $535,757 in expenditures from 2012 and 2013 came from a grant that wasn’t included in the original budget.
The city has since pledged to improve transparency. Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago has made changes, such as banning firefighters from buying uniforms for others and adjusting when candidates receive uniforms to reduce waste from those who drop out.
The commissary vendor now must review past purchases to prevent excessive spending. Additionally, Ferguson suggested that hiring civilians for 34 non-emergency roles could save up to $1.2 million annually, including the position of commissary liaison, currently held by a CFD captain.