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Administration to propose formal process for allocating gaming revenue after aldermen press for rules
Summary
After questions about who selects gaming‑revenue projects, Director Tim Cummings told the budget committee the administration is developing a program to govern future distributions and will present a recommendation in the fall.
Aldermen pressed administration about how casino (gaming) revenue is chosen for projects after committee members questioned whether the mayor or administration had been selecting recipients without a formal process.
"We don't want to go exactly 100% like the way the CIC is laid out, but something very similar in nature has been the topic of conversation," Director Tim Cummings told the committee. He said administration staff (including Director Sullivan and CFO Enright) have discussed the matter and aim to return in the fall with a formal recommendation that would provide stability in how gaming revenue is used.
Why it matters: Committee members said recurring annual gaming revenue will create expectations and possible criticism unless a transparent, repeatable process is established. Alderman Tebow told the committee he worries the public will suspect favoritism if allocations appear ad hoc. "When we have to call it out, it looks even worse," Tebow said.
Next step: Administration will draft a program and present it to the committee in the fall so members can consider a process for ranking and approving projects funded with gaming revenue.
