If you need any kind of City services today in Chicago, you are out of luck. CBS 2 Chicago reports that the city has basically come to a screeching halt today over budget problems. The city is closed for business today: that means no libraries, city clinics or garbage collection will be happening. Most city employees are off work without pay to save money.
They call it a "reduced service day." The firefighters, police and paremedics are all working, but that's about it.
That also includes garbage pickup. Residents who receive regular collection on Mondays should expect trash to be picked up the following day, the release said. Some other customers may experience a one-day delay as collectors catch up.
As part of the 2009 budget, three reduced-service days were planned for 2009, days which are unpaid for all affected employees -- the Friday after Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve; and New Year's Eve. The City Council recently approved moving the reduced-service day planned for New Year's Eve to Monday.
The 2009 budget anticipates saving $8.3 million due to the reduced-service days.
In addition to reduced service days, all non-union employees were asked to take a series of furlough days and unpaid holidays, and most non-sworn union employees agreed to similar unpaid time off.
"Every dollar we save from these measures helps to save jobs, and in the long-term, maintain services for Chicagoans," Mayor Daley said in the release. "This plan relies on most of our civilian employees to be part of the solution to our very serious budget challenges. I want to thank them again for their sacrifice."
There's a sign on the door of a city clinic in Englewood telling patients all Chicago health offices will be closed Monday.
A lot of residents CBS 2 interviewed didn't know about the partial government shutdown. It came as bad news to Denzel Thornton, a student at Chicago State who visited the library Sunday to find out it will be closed Monday.
"Where am I supposed to go now?" he asked. "I have no other place to go. I don't have a computer of my own, so this is the only public place I can go to do what I need."
City workers are not happy about the enforced time off; most would much rather have the paycheck. But some workers don't mind the reduced hours, so long as they keep their jobs.
