Excerpts from the ChicagoSunTimes.com: According to a recent report by the Inspector General’s Office, Chicago taxpayers are spending $5 million annually on a uniform allowance for firefighters that functions more like an automatic cash bonus rather than a practical expense reimbursement. This conclusion was made by Inspector General Joe Ferguson, who found that the allowance is not tied to any actual need or usage. Four years ago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel attempted to cut several union benefits, including the clothing allowance, holiday pay, premium pay, and other perks. However, he eventually backed down from these demands in a pre-election contract that gained the support of the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, which had previously backed Gery Chico in the 2011 mayoral race. The new five-year agreement included an 11% pay raise for firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs over five years, but it also eliminated free health care for retirees between the ages of 55 and 65. Now, Inspector General Joe Ferguson has launched an audit focusing on the uniform allowance, examining how uniforms are issued, exchanged, and repaired at the Chicago Fire Department's Commissary. The store is run by a third-party contractor under a $11.7 million, five-year contract that ends in 2019. The city provides free uniforms and replacements unless items are lost, stolen, damaged due to negligence, or because of significant weight changes. The uniform allowance—$1,250 or $1,500 depending on the role—is meant to cover the cost of maintenance and cleaning. In his audit, Ferguson compared Chicago’s uniform spending with cities like New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Dallas, San Diego, and Indianapolis. While Chicago issued fewer uniforms to new hires and spent less per employee than most other cities, the annual allowance was among the highest in the country. Ferguson wrote that the allowance is “completely unmoored from any determination of actual need or use†and that the department does not track how the money is spent. As a result, the allowance more closely resembles a cash bonus and should be re-evaluated during upcoming negotiations with the fire department union. During the audit, 58,257 transactions totaling $1.7 million were reviewed, and 99.9% of them followed department policy. However, $535,757 in expenditures from 2012 and 2013 came from a grant source not included in the original budget proposal. The Chicago Fire Department has acknowledged this as a historical practice and plans to improve transparency moving forward. Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago has also implemented changes, such as banning firefighters from buying uniforms for others and adjusting when trainees receive their gear to reduce waste from those who drop out. Additionally, the commissary vendor must now review past purchases before approving new ones to prevent excessive spending. Earlier this year, Ferguson also recommended that 34 non-essential administrative roles could be filled by civilians, potentially saving the city up to $1.2 million annually in overtime costs. Huaian Yige New Material Co., Ltd. , https://www.cnygplastic.com