Mayor Rahm Emanuel is cracking down on City Hall and agency employees who owe Chicago $3 million in unpaid water bills, parking tickets, business license fees and other fines.Employees will have 30 days to pay up or face disciplinary action, ranging from suspension to termination, according to a memo the mayor sent to department and agency leaders Tuesday morning. Workers can have the outstanding debt deducted from their paychecks.
“It is expected that you will make every effort to ensure your employees come into compliance by paying the debt in full or entering into a payment plan by October 31, 2011,” Emanuel wrote.
Employees who have a past due amount of more than $1,000 face termination. Those who owe less than $250 will face a 10-day suspension.
Among the city's so-called sister agencies -- which include the Chicago Park District, Chicago Housing Authority and City Colleges -- Chicago Board of Education employees owe the largest amount, coming in at a little more than $1 million dollars.
Chicago Transit Authority workers owe roughly $714,000.
At City Hall, the departments that have biggest unpaid debt include police and fire, in part because they have the largest number of employees.
About 6 percent of Chicago Fire Department employees have unpaid bills, totaling $126,000. And a little over 7 percent of Chicago Police Department employees owe about $327,000.
