Dive Summary:
- Inspector General Joseph Ferguson's plan to audit Chicago's new grid-based waste collection system was blocked by Mayor Emanuel's administration.
- Ferguson was trying to verify the amount of money the grid collection system saved, which the mayor stated would yield $18 million in savings yearly.
- The grid system was put into effect in the middle of 2012 and the mayor's office said it has been sending out less trucks since the new plan launched, saving costs on both fuel and personnel.
From the article:
Ferguson recommended Streets and Sanitation "substantiate the reported $18 million savings by publicly releasing the data, calculations and supporting documentation that supports that public assertion."
"We believe the inspector general's audit of the system midway through implementation was premature, and the appropriate approach to auditing the large scale transition of Chicago's refuse collection system is to roll the program out completely, review for issues and best practices, adjust strategies accordingly, and audit," Williams said in the statement.
By keeping in place ward supervisors, who largely report to aldermen, Emanuel helped ensure the backing of the City Council for the change to the grid-based system, which aldermen had opposed for years, fearing they would lose their control of an essential city service.
