Advisory on Interdepartmental Coordination and the City’s Administrative Officer Position

Executive Summary

The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) is charged, among other duties, with promoting economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity in the administration of the programs and operations of the City government by recommending policies and methods for the elimination of inefficiencies and waste. In its recent inquiries, OIG has found a number of areas of inefficiency and ineffectiveness in City government attributable to poor or inadequate coordination among City departments.

In a January 27, 2023 letter to the Mayor’s Office, OIG advised of these findings and noted that the Municipal Code of Chicago (MCC) requires that the Mayor appoint for confirmation by the City Council an administrative officer, among whose statutory duties is coordination among City departments. That position has not been filled during the present mayoral administration or during any recent predecessor administration.