CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON BUDGET AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Budget Hearing for the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation

November 1, 2018
Commissioner John F. Tully, Jr.

Honorable Chairman Austin, Vice Chairman Ervin and members of the Chicago City Council:

Annually, the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) responds to more than one million
service requests from residents. We work 365 days of the year; through rain, sleet and especially snow.
In 2018, our crews have worked hard to deliver the services and vital resources that residents need,
effectively and efficiently. Every day, we strive to make neighborhoods throughout the City cleaner,
greener and safer for us all to enjoy.

While we have accomplished a great deal together this year, there is more work to do. As we plan for
the future, our goal is to continue to work to make Chicago better for its residents, the taxpayers. In
2019, efficiency will remain a top priority for DSS operations to ensure we are making every dollar
count. We will work collaboratively with unions to develop our workforce and leverage available
technological resources to increase productivity. When operational savings are realized, they will be
reinvested back into the Department to assist us in providing the most cost-effective, timely and
impactful services that Chicagoans need and deserve.

COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE
Neighborhood Outreach
The department’s neighborhood outreach team of Field Sanitation Specialists (FSS) has been working
with a focus on community engagement to increase recycling education. FSS visit town halls, CAPS
meetings and community events throughout the city to distribute outreach materials and tips for
residents to reduce recycling contamination.

BUREAU OF SANITATION
Refuse
Since the inception of Grid 2.0 in 2016, DSS has sustained a daily deployment average of 291 garbage
trucks. We continuously monitor the grid system by assessing time-in-alley, reviewing daily tonnage
reports and conducting field audits. DSS will continue to evaluate crew performance and make any
necessary adjustments to the system.

Grid has enabled us to reallocate resources across the Department, making way for the Quality of Life-
Extra Mile initiative through which crews have cleaned more than 1,200 normally untapped areas in all
50 wards. In August 2018, we rolled out additional training sessions to all laborers to expand the
program to each division.

Improved placement and management of dumpsters used by this program has resulted in more than
$1.5 million of savings since 2016.

In April 2018, we rolled out the online Sweeper Tracker tool for viewers to view our sweepers work in
real-time every day. The bureau has swept more than 176,000 miles of streets and alleys city-wide in
2018.
Recycling
In 2018, the Department implemented several strategies to reduce contamination in the Blue Cart
program following the success of a recycling pilot that helped reduce contamination by 32 percent in
test areas. In January 2018, the Department launched a new online tool for residents to easily find their
recycling and garbage pick-up schedule and sign up for email reminders, in partnership with Recycle By
City.

The tagging system used in the pilot was rolled out citywide on May 1st, allowing for a unified message
from City crews and private haulers regarding contamination. Ward superintendents also continue to
make direct contact with their ward’s most frequent contaminators to offer education and support. We
have also ramped up our yard waste collection efforts to help reduce contamination. Yard waste
remains one of our biggest contaminants and we will continue collecting yard waste from residents
throughout the season, which ends in November.

BUREAU OF STREET OPERATIONS

Snow
The Bureau of Street Operations is fully prepared for winter operations. DSS will add 20 new spreaders
and four new hi-lifts to its fleet this year and all equipment will remain at the ready to ensure that
arterial and residential streets are safe and passable during snow events. The department maintains salt
stations across the City throughout the year and has more than 370,000 tons of salt prepared for
deployment when needed.

Neighborhood Blitzes
Since April, the Department has worked in partnership with the Dept. of Transportation and the
Department of Water Management to deliver more than 21 neighborhood service blitzes throughout
the city, up from 16 in 2017. The blitz model allows us to quickly and efficiently address requests from
residents for services like tree trimming, rodent abatements and lot cleaning. In 2018, crews trimmed
400 trees, removed 302 abandoned vehicles, baited alleys and removed graffiti from more than 1,000
locations.

Graffiti
DSS continues to respond to graffiti removal requests in four days or less. In 2018, the grid-based
removal system allowed graffiti crews to complete more abatement jobs proactively, resulting in a 20%
decrease in requests from the public compared to 2017. Crews have completed more than 95,000
removals in 2018.

Fly Dumping
The Department continues to use FlashCams as a deterrent for fly dumping and graffiti vandalism in
areas with chronic activity. Since the inception of the FlashCam program last year, there have been a
total of 56 cases submitted to Law for fine collection. To date, 34 offenders have pled liable generating
more than $63,000 in revenue to the City. We are confident that this program will continue to yield
return on our initial investment of $90,000 and help support our street operations.

BUREAU OF FORESTRY
The Bureau of Forestry maintains more than 500,000 trees each year, addressing insect and disease
problems and tree trimming and removals to protect the City’s urban canopy. In 2018, the bureau has
trimmed more than 24,000 trees, an increase of 20 percent from 2017. The bureau also planted nearly
4,000 trees this year, many in areas that had been previously impacted by the Emerald Ash Borer. DSS
also continues to support CDOT in the citywide Smart Lighting project. Forestry crews trim or remove
trees to clear the way for CDOT electricity crews as they convert old high pressure sodium lamp
technology to new, more cost effective LED lamps.

In July 2018, Forestry began an apprenticeship for tree trimmers to improve productivity and reduce the
duty disability rates. A total of 56 tree trimmers will be trained through the program. The department is
also exploring a citywide tree inventory in the coming months.

BUREAU OF RODENT CONTROL

Under the leadership of Mayor Emanuel, DSS has taken a more proactive approach to rodent
abatement. Crews continue to bait alleys and sewers in addition to the implementation of the dry ice
pilot which was revived last year to combat rodents in parks and along the Riverwalk. In 2018, crews
have proactively addressed more abatement jobs and have implemented an improved method for
placing dry ice, resulting in a 20 percent decline in rodent abatement requests from residents.

Crews have completed more than 33,000 rodent abatement jobs and continue to respond to requests in
five days or less. DSS has also ramped up education about the New Construction Site Rodent Abatement
Ordinance through direct contact with contractors to encourage compliance ahead of full enforcement
in 2019.

In 2018, additional investments allowed DSS to eliminate the cart backlog from 2017. DSS has delivered
more than 44,000 black garbage carts in 2018—double the amount of last year. The Department
continues to refurbish carts where possible to respond to the high volume of requests from residents,
yielding a cost savings of more than $300,000 in 2018.

BUREAU OF TRAFFIC SERVICES

The Bureau of Traffic Services continues to keep streets safe through towing and relocation of vehicles,
abandoned vehicle removal and support for emergency operations and special events. In 2018, Traffic
Services removed more than 17,000 vehicles and provided support to 700 special events throughout the
City.

In closing, DSS remains committed to efficiently delivering the highest quality of services to residents to
ensure our investments are working for us all. We welcome your ideas and input as we move forward.
By working together, we will continue to make a greater impact on neighborhoods throughout Chicago
to keep them healthy and thriving.

I would like to thank the entire staff of the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation for their
tireless efforts and commitment to the residents of Chicago.

This concludes my prepared statement. My staff and I are happy to answer any questions you or the
members of the City Council may have on our proposed budget.