Budget Cuts Upset Local Business Groups
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Local chambers of commerce are protesting proposed $3.4 million in Chicago budget cuts that they say would drastically reduce or eliminate their operations.
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And at least North Side two aldermen, Joe Moore and Tom Tunney, are telling reporters it's a false economy that saves little in the city's $6.1 billion budget and causes great harm to the communities.
Kimberly Bears, executive director of the Rogers Park Business Alliance says the cuts were proposed by the city budget office without support of the community affairs department. She says that suggests there was no credit given for the work the local chambers of commerce actually do.
And she says it's especially ironic to be gutting a local business coalition, at the same time the city has said the local business coalitions should start organizing neighborhood business waste disposal.
Christie Hahn, executive director of Uptown Business Partners, says her group assists with small business start-ups and job creation. It also helps coordinate sidewalk requests, city inspections and street cleaning.
Hahn says her work in Uptown is done by herself and one part-timer. She says if the proposed $40,000 budget cut comes through, she would have to let the part-timer go and start working part-time herself.
