Generally speaking, the mayor and city departments comprise the
executive branch of the city government, and the city council comprises the
legislative branch. However, the mayor does have some formal legislative functions such as being the presiding officer of the council and being able to break tie votes, and informally has dominated legislative activity since the late 19th century. On the other hand, the council has oversight authority over city departments. The city treasurer and city clerk are the only other directly elected positions in the city government, and are independent from the mayor's office and the council.
Finance and Administration • Department of Administrative Hearings • Department of Finance • Department of Fleet and Facility Management • Department of Law • Department of Human Resources • Department of Innovation and Technology • Department of Procurement Services • Office of Budget and Management
Legislative and Elections • Board of Election Commissioners
City Development • Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events • Department of Housing • Department of Planning and Development
Community Services •
Board of Health •
Department of Public Health • Commission on Human Relations • Department of Family and Support Services • Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities •
Public Libraries Public Safety •
Fire Department • Police Board • Civilian Office of Police Accountability •
Police Department • Office of Emergency Management and Communications
Regulatory • Office of the Inspector General • Department of Buildings • Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection • Chicago Animal Care and Control • License Appeal Commission • Board of Ethics
Infrastructure Services • Department of Aviation • Department of Streets and Sanitation •
Department of Transportation • Department of Water Management
City Clerk City Treasurer Other city agencies Other city-level government bodies include: • The
Chicago Board of Education, which oversees the
Chicago Public Schools system, and whose members are appointed by the mayor • The
Chicago Housing Authority, a not-for-profit municipal corporation whose board of commissioners is appointed by the mayor • The Chicago Water Department, oversees water utility. Water Commissioner is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Alderpersons. Services they handle includes: Metersave, Water Quality Reports, Sewer Regulations, Pay Water Bills Online, Conservation, Education, Chicago Water Quality, as well as, Full Payment Certifications. • The City Council Office of Financial Analysis (COFA) was created in 2015 to provide the City Council with independent analysis of the fiscal implications of the issues before it. COFA works with the City Council's Committee on Budget and Government Operations, and applies the tools of financial analysis to budget recommendations and forecasts, the city's annual audit, proposed public-private partnership agreements or asset leases, bond rating agency actions, and other matters as requested by Alderpersons. COFA also provides an options report of potential cost-saving reforms and efficiencies. • The Board of Trustees of the
City Colleges of Chicago, whose members are appointed by the mayor with the approval of the council (except one elected student member) ==Law==