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Privatization
Quick Hit
by Aricka Flowers
12:15pm
Tue Dec 13, 2011
1 comment

Caroling Against Cuts

A group of Chicagoans plan on caroling at City Hall tomorrow morning, but their song list and message may not evoke feelings of merriment and warmth. In fact, the carolers hope to send a stern message to Mayor Rahm Emanuel about their refusal to accept the closing of half of the city's mental health clinics and privatization of neighborhood health clinics, as outlined in the 2012 city budget.

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Quick Hit
by Aricka Flowers
11:57am
Thu Aug 25, 2011
3 comments

Privatization Isn't Only Answer To Funding Illinois Transportation Projects

One of the bills still sitting unsigned on Gov. Pat Quinn's desk is HB 1091. The Public-Private Partnership for Transportation Act, if signed, would allow the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to enter into contracts with private entities, allowing the latter to build and operate roads, bridges, tollways, tunnels, bus systems, and high-speed rail operations in the state.

This unprecedented move would essentially allow private companies to have a major stake in new transportation infrastructure -- and gain dividends from the "partnerships" -- all while being exempt from taxes because, technically, the projects would fall under the umbrella of state property. Earlier this week, a group of activists met with legislators and aides of the governor to voice their concerns with the privatization of state property. While there, the anti-privatizers got some interesting news.  

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Quick Hit
by Micah Maidenberg
11:07am
Mon Apr 11, 2011

Privatization Ordinance Deferred In Chicago's Finance Committee

An ordinance that would restructure the terms of privatization efforts in Chicago and how the City Council approves such deals was held in the City Council's Committee on Finance this morning. The ordinance (PDF) was introduced in February by Laborers Local 1001, which represents employees in the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation. There's been a lot of talk that the incoming Emanuel administration will put privatization of various city services on the table. And the Daley administration, in its waning days, is looking to contract out the city's incomplete recycling program.
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Quick Hit
by Micah Maidenberg
4:40pm
Wed Jan 5, 2011

What's Next For The Festival Outsourcing Pitch

The bid to privatize seven high-profile festivals in Chicago's Grant Park has a few steps to go before it's a done deal. Shannon Andrews, the spokeswoman for the city's Department of Procurement Services, wrote in an email that city staffers are currently reviewing the single response they received for outsourcing management of the fests. If they decide to move forward on the outsourcing proposal, which would create an admission fee for the Taste of Chicago and institute charges for previously free concerts during both the jazz and blues festivals, the agreement would still need go-ahead from the Chicago Park District's Board of Commissioners as well as the full City Council.

There are concerns among some council members about the impact of levying a charge to get into the Taste. Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward), chair of the council committee set up to oversee the city's special events, said he wasn't sold on the $20 admission fee for the event. (Half of the possible new charge would kick back to the entrant in the form of drink and food tickets.) Tellingly, Burnett told the Tribune he doesn't want any repeat of the city's parking meter privatization. It should provide a little cold comfort that following the hurried, now-infamous meter lease that some aldermen are at least once bitten twice shy with regards to privatization pitches.

Tribune food critic Phil Vettel, meanwhile, wrote in a thoughtful column published yesterday that the lakefront fests' "egalitarian nature might be permanently, irretrievably transformed" by the proposed new fees. Here's more from Vettel:

Even if you were broke, you could still pack a picnic basket, find a patch of grass and listen to free music. Consequently, walking around Taste of Chicago provided a more accurate snapshot of who actually lives in this city than one could get while attending Lollapalooza, or a baseball game, or any other admission-based event.

Quick Hit
by Micah Maidenberg
1:05pm
Tue Jan 4, 2011

Privatization Means Ponying Up More For Downtown Music

It appears that taking in music at three of Chicago's main downtown festivals is about to get a lot more expensive.

Concerts headlined by big-name acts at the Taste of Chicago may start costing $20 to $65 while patrons would be charged $10 to attend a show at both the Chicago Blues Festival and the city's Jazz Fest should the city accept the sole bid it received to outsource management of these three events, the Sun-Times reports today. Music at all three events has previously been free. People attending the Taste only for its culinary options would pay $20 to get in, meanwhile, with half of that amount rebated as food and drink tickets.

The idea behind the fees is that new revenue will improve the musical offerings at the festivals. That may be a worthy goal, but it's also true the new charges will exclude people on tight budgets who previously could count on listening to the music at these events for a mere $4.50 -- the cost of a round-trip ride on CTA between Grant Park, where all of these shows take place, and their homes. Four festivals showcasing Latin, Celtic, gospel, and country music are to remain free. In all, the city has lost around $7 million over the past three years managing these seven events. For more on the lakefront fest outsourcing saga, check out WBEZ's Jim DeRogatis' comprehensive coverage here. We've got a call in with the city's Department of Procurement Services for additional details about this privatization bid, and will update this quick hit when we hear more.