Mayor Daley was forced to retreat, at least temporarily, from hisplan to bill neighborhood festivals for city services Wednesday amidsurprisingly strong opposition from the City Council.
The setback came on the same day aldermen complained that Daleyhas failed to deliver on a promise he made last fall to maintainbranch library hours that have been targeted for reduction.
Concerned that the firstfees for electrical and sanitationservice could prompt some festivals to fold, Daley's allies andopponents joined forces to defeat the mayor's plan.
Ald. John Madrzyk (13th), the Daley ally who chairs theCommittee on Special Events, spared the mayor the embarrassment bydeciding not to call the fees for a vote Wednesday.
"I've been here awhile, and I can count," Madrzyk said. "Itwould have been a problem" rounding up the votes for passage.
Madrzyk, whose committee approved the fees last week, said hehas since concluded that the charges are "ill-advised. . . . Allyou're doing is hitting the little guy again and irritating a lot ofsmall groups citywide. I don't think it was worth it politically."
The Southwest Side alderman said he has been assured by themayor's staff that Daley is "re-reviewing" the fees. But the mayortold reporters after the Council adjourned that the proposal won't bepermanently shelved unless aldermen find another way to raise theprojected $1 million in annual revenue.
Daley, who telegraphed the fees in his "bad news" 1992 budget,said the free ride for neighborhood festivals "costs the taxpayers amillion dollars. That's a lot of money. We're not overcharging.We're trying to keep it at cost."
Under the mayor's ordinance, police, fire and health serviceswould continue to be provided at no charge. And there would be nofees for city services provided to thousands of annual block parties.
The fees, not including overtime rates, range from $613 for eachelectrical outlet installation to $350 to rent a public addresssystem for the weekend. The charge for renting a garbage truck andcrew would be $167.28 and $2.50 a drum to dispose of garbage.Delivery and pickup of 40 or more refuse drums would cost $1,051.52.
Ald. John Buchanan (10th) said there has been a "violentreaction" to the fees in his Southeast Side ward, home to suchpopular events as Hegewisch Fest, East Side Fest and South ChicagoFest.
Ald. James Laski (23rd), a Daley ally, said he was "ready tovote against the mayor on this issue. These neighborhood festivalsare important for the communities. I don't think they have theresources available to pay these fees."
Another Daley ally, Ald. Bernard Stone (50th), said, "You'retalking about raising, perhaps, a million dollars in fees at greatcost politically. And you're going to hurt a lot of people."
On the library matter, Ald. Ted Mazola (1st) and Joseph Moore(49th) said branch libraries are operating at reduced hours, despitethe mayor's decision to restore $500,000 cut from the annual librarybudget.
He accused the Daley administration of deliberately delayinglibrary hirings in a budget sleight-of-hand similar to the mayor'sbroken campaign promise to bolster the police force by 600 officerslast year.
Mayoral press secretary Avis LaVelle said the Budget Officeauthorized the hiring of 49 library employees on March 16, adding, "Idon't know what has happened between then and now."
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