Mayor Daley Dips into Parking Meter Funds for Unassailable Programs

The city's parking meter proceeds have suddenly become Mayor Daley's political treasure chest.

First the mayor announced that he wants to use meter money to send $200 checks to property owners in tax relief, a nakedly political gimmick.

Now he wants to spend $1.4 million of meter money on the homeless. The homeless money is appreciated, but old Chicago hands get the feeling Daley is trying to buy back some lost love by spending his ill-gotten gains on unassailable programs.

And spending more money on the homeless is unassailable - particularly in this economy. But what happens next year?

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) said on the first day of budget hearings Wednesday that the city will have spent two-thirds of its parking meter and Skyway leasing funds by the end of next year.

Meanwhile, the mayor seems uninclined to dip into - or even make public the budget of - bulging TIF funds, which would be a more appropriate method of funding both homeless shelters and property tax relief.

In fact, homeless advocates had just called on the mayor to use TIF funds for affordable housing.

But TIF money is for the mayor's private slush fund. Parking meter money is for the public political slush fund. Some recipients will be quite worthy, but somebody always gets hurt when pols play Santa Claus.

Steve Rhodes is the proprietor of The Beachwood Reporter, a Chicago-centric news and culture review.

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