Chicago Commission on Human Relations – BGA Policy 2026 Budget Snapshot

The Chicago Commission on Human Relations is the investigatory and enforcement agency for Chicago's Human Rights and Fair Housing ordinances. The Commission also provides support for hate crime victims and oversees advisory councils on equity, LGBTQ+ issues, new Americans, veterans' affairs, and women.

Departmental Highlights

Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2025 Budget

• CCHR's staffing remained unchanged, with the same budgeted 20 positions as in 2025.
• CCHR was the only department apart from CFD and CPD whose local fund actual spend exceeded 2024 budgeted appropriations, albeit only slightly, a net $16,000 over budget. (CFD and CPD went over budget by a net $22 million and $188.1 million, respectively.)
• CCHR's appropriation for salaries and wages on payroll is up approximately $155,000 from the previous year (more than sufficient to cover the previous year's roughly $33,000 overspend).
• The salary provision appropriation has been eliminated from CCHR's 2026 budget, a roughly $109,000 reduction. Other adjustments were relatively minor.

Historical Context

CCHR appropriations declined by an average annual rate of -0.9% from 2011-2025, or -1.7% adjusted for inflation, compared to a citywide average annual increase of 8.3% (inflation-adjusted 4.4%).

Over the past three complete budget years for which local fund actuals/encumbrances data is available, CCHR spent on average 93.9% of its locally funded budget, compared to the citywide average 86.4% local fund spend.

CCHR was the only department apart from CPD and CFD whose local fund actual spend exceeded 2024 budgeted appropriations, albeit only slightly, going roughly $16,000 over budget. (CPD and CFD went over budget by $188.1 million and $22 million, respectively.)

Rahm Emanuel's first budget (2012) reduced CCHR's budgeted workforce by about a third. Headcount has remained relatively stable since, fluctuating between 19-21 positions budgeted annually from 2012-2025.

From February through September of 2025, the months for which the city released full-time position vacancy data, CCHR averaged a 3.8% vacancy rate, one of the lowest in the city, compared to the citywide average of 11.2%.

None of the department's budgeted full-time positions were persistent vacancies (the same title/division/section/subsection combination was vacant for all eight months of available data).

Staffing

CCHR's staffing remained unchanged, with the same budgeted 20 positions as in 2025.

Appropriations

CCHR is 60.2% locally-funded in this year's budget proposal, up from the previous year's 52.9% due to reduced grant funding. All of CCHR's local funding comes from the Corporate Fund.

This year's budget eliminated the CDBG fund type and Community Development Block Grant Fund that had been used in previous years' budgets. Instead, CCHR's grant funding this year comes from the new Entitlement Fund, which according to the Grant Details budget supplement is CDBG funded.

Largest Appropriations

As with most departments, personnel costs make up the bulk of CCHR's appropriations, with salaries and wages on payroll by far the largest expense category.

In 2024, the most recent complete budget year for which local fund actuals and encumbrances data is available, CCHR slightly overspent its locally-funded budget, with roughly $33,000 in personnel services overspend. Slight underspend in other categories brought the net overspend down to $15,890.

(Because DoF actuals data does not break personnel services spend out into individual budgeted categories, an exact line-t0-line comparison of the various personnel services appropriation accounts to actual spend is not possible.)

Change from Previous Year

CCHR's appropriation for salaries and wages on payroll is up approximately $155,000 from the previous year (more than sufficient to cover the previous year's roughly $33,000 overspend).

The salary provision appropriation has been eliminated from CCHR's 2026 budget, a roughly $109,000 reduction. Other adjustments were relatively minor.

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