Chicago’s Office of Inspector General is asking the public to tune in to city operations as it digs deeper into the new year. It’s a turning point year for the office, with current IG Deborah Weitzberg planning to leave her position in April and with increasing scrutiny of Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council ahead of the 2027 municipal elections.
The OIG publishes draft audit plans each fall and solicits public input. The final annual plan helps guide the office throughout the year. This year’s draft annual plan includes 60 potential projects “designed to help the city maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of programs and operations” for public comment on igchicago.org/survey.
They range from how the city manages its cash schedule and street sweeping to whether the city’s blue cart recycling program has improved and how water officials handle stormwater.
But the plan also includes several politically thorny areas for review.
Among this year’s potential list is to pursue efforts to limit the powers of city councils — or say so — in housing decisions by examining how local council members run their local zoning advisory boards. The office could also look into whether city departments have changed their processes to address the city’s “respect” for aldermen when making zoning decisions, which has “raised serious concerns” with federal authorities about the city’s compliance with civil rights laws.
Mayoral lobbying is also on the project list. The draft plan noted that there was “little information about the day-to-day operations” of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, whose staff works to advance the mayor’s agenda with local, state and federal officials. The project will dig into his function and authority.
A similar project would be considered by more than 100 boards and committees whose members are appointed by the mayor. “Limited transparency raises concerns about conflicts of interest,” the draft stated. “This project will provide transparency into jobs… qualify their use of taxpayer dollars and city resources, and evaluate their compliance with relevant regulations.”
The Inspector General’s Office could also look into whether the Chicago Fire Department has enough ambulances and emergency medical personnel to meet the city’s needs.
A separate public safety division within the Office of Inspector General audits the city’s police department. There are 30 potential projects in its 2026 forecast, from CPD’s handling of hit-and-runs and sexual assault investigations to officer health and substance abuse.
For the last two budgets, city officials said they will work to address the cost to taxpayers when Chicago hosts special events, such as street closures, barricades, trash cans, parking signs, electrical services or police protection. Although required by municipal law, officials have not fully accounted for and tracked this cost, let alone reimbursed them for the city’s expenses. For 10 events listed in the July 2025 check-in from the city budget office, for example, officials said they made back just $3.8 million of the $14.8 million they spent to help host the events.
Other potential audits include construction or development: the city’s failure to keep a comprehensive inventory of the land it owns, how and when the Department of Buildings demolishes dangerous buildings and how the Department of the Environment enforces new rules about how much energy large buildings use.
The Inspector General’s Office could look into problems renovating city buildings to become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Until 2021, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities had a long-term contract with a third-party vendor to develop a plan to fix the problems, but it abruptly cut it, leaving “significant questions” about the value of that contract and whether the city faces significant liability risks, according to a draft annual plan.
Also on the list: whether the city’s Department of Family and Support Services provides accessible transportation for people with disabilities being transported to shelters, whether shelter requests are tracked, and whether the contractor providing rides responds on time.
The city’s official chief risk officer position has also remained vacant “for several years,” raising questions about how the city will handle future emergencies similar to the COVID-19 pandemic or an influx of new arrivals.
Surveys are open until December 31st.