Dushani Dai, the city's chief financial officer and director of Finance and Property Services, told the Budget Committee on Oct. 6 that the department's recommended 2026 budget is about $65.1 million, that the department is staffed at 293 FTEs in the proposed budget and that the city will begin passing utility credit-card processing fees to customers starting in 2026.

Dai summarized the department's functions across 10 divisions, including investments and debt, payroll, procurement, property services, risk management and utility billing. She highlighted that the city retained AAA ratings from Fitch, S&P and Moody's and that the finance office received Government Finance Officers Association awards for both budget presentation and financial reporting (the fiftieth consecutive year for the financial-reporting award). She also told the committee that the city's annual comprehensive financial report was finalized by June 25 this year after prior-year extensions.

On property services Dai noted the relocation of the first precinct into the Century Plaza building, an ongoing South Side Community Safety Center design and staff relocations back to the mezzanine; property services obtained a SIMS/CIMS cleaning-management certification and reported the lowest tracked energy and emissions levels since 2008.

Dai said the recommended 2026 budget includes about $901,800 in net reductions: a small food-and-beverage cut and a policy to stop absorbing roughly $900,000 in utility card-processing fees. Dai said the additional payment methods launched this year (including Paymentus, Venmo and PayPal options) increased processing costs and absorbing $900,000 in fees was not sustainable. Beginning in 2026 the department plans to pass those fees to customers who choose to pay by credit card.

On systems and modernization, Dai said Finance and Property Services will lead the city's Evolve work (the Workday implementation) in partnership with IT and HR to replace the legacy COMET financial system and deliver new payroll and finance functionality; she called the Workday transition a major multi-year effort.

CFO Dai also noted three FTE additions tied to property services operational needs (a security position funded by regulatory services and two positions added previously to support the precinct build-out). The department reported 12 vacancies as of Sept. 30, including three security positions and other finance roles the department is actively recruiting to fill.

Council members asked for follow-up detail on how many customers use credit cards for utility payments and how the city will communicate the new fees. Council Member Palmasano congratulated budget staff for awards and sought additional details on messaging; Dai and council members asked the clerk to route follow-up memos on customer counts and communication plans. The committee filed the presentation; no vote was recorded at the hearing.