Overview
- Harvey’s City Council convened for the first time since the furloughs as residents packed the chamber to demand answers on services and paychecks.
- Sixty-nine employees were furloughed, about 40% of the workforce, including 24 police and 17 to 20 firefighters, with one firehouse closed and some shifts staffed by only four to five firefighters while neighboring departments provide mutual aid.
- Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart assigned additional patrols to bolster depleted police coverage in the city.
- Officials are asking state lawmakers to pass House Bill 40-24 to direct $30 million in emergency funding as the city reports about $140 million in debt.
- The firefighters’ union is meeting with the mayor on possible returns to duty, and a union GoFundMe has raised more than $45,000, with no clear timeline for reinstating workers.