* Normally, I would praise something like this. Crain’s…

Johnson is proposing contributing $307 million in advance pension payments on top of the actuarially required amount

But here’s Fox 32…

Outlined in his 2024 budget proposal, Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to spend at least $150 million for what he’s calling “new arrivals services.”

That’s it?

* More from Crain’s…

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $16.6 billion budget allocates $150 million for the city’s ongoing migrant response, down over $50 million from the city’s estimate released a month ago even as city officials expect an increase to the number of daily buses arriving in the city. […]

The city currently estimates it is spending more than $31 million a month on its migrant mission and has struggled to receive its full funding requests from the state or federal government. […]

The move, which also helped the city close its $538 million budget gap, also ramps up the pressure on Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the federal government to provide additional funding to the city in 2024.

Um, the city cuts its anticipated new arrivals spending, which was woefully inadequate to begin with, while spending $307 million on advance pension payments? And that’s supposed to somehow put pressure on the state?

Sure, Jan.

*** UPDATE *** House Speaker Chris Welch was asked about his meeting with Mayor Johnson last week. Speaker Welch said they talked about the migrant situation and how the federal government needed to step up. Asked about whether he was asked about a supplemental budget to help the city, Welch said…

At that time, there was no request made specifically because I think I made it clear that we were not expecting to do a supplemental budget in the veto session.

…Adding… Yes, he’s reading it right. The mayor proposes cutting the budget to the committee overseeing this issue…

Am I reading this correctly? Because it sure looks like @ChicagosMayor thinks that the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights

and ONLY that Committee

will somehow need LESS FUNDING than last year pic.twitter.com/4wcFGL2fWZ

— Anthony Moser (@mosermusic) October 12, 2023

You gotta wonder what signal he’s trying to send here.

…Adding… From Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa…

The 2024 budget proposal reduces the budget for the committee by $10,000, all in “contractual services,” which can go towards things like part-time contractors or newspaper subscriptions. I haven’t looked into it, but my guess is the committee didn’t make use of the $10,000 for “contractual services” in the prior year, hence why that line item was zeroed out. […]

I don’t think it sends any message because the committee isn’t involved in direct services, just oversight of the city’s migrant mission. And the committee is currently fulfilling that oversight role without making use of the funds allocated for contractual services.

Also, the city is creating an Office of New Arrivals within DFSS — the city is beefing up personnel where it’s needed. What message does it send that the city is creating a dedicated team of people within DFSS to support the migrant mission?

The Latino Caucus and Immigration Committee members advocated for additional staffing to assist with the migrant mission. We didn’t advocate for additional committee funding because we know that’s not where the funding is needed.

…Adding… Ald. Andre Vasquez just called. He said he caught that budget number the night before the budget was released and was told the appropriation was in error and he’s now in talks with the city on a revised number that isn’t a cut.