What: how federal and state forfeiture proceeds received by the police department are accounted for, reported and approved for spending.
Where it stands: At the 11/9 Finance Committee, staff said the city holds separate federal and state forfeiture special funds and that spending follows the police department's normal approval process. Several alders said the arrangement was news to them and asked for a written report.
Next: Staff to report back on amounts received over the last couple of years, where they appear in the budget, how the Board was involved in approving them, and whether seized cash is treated the same as auctioned property.
Details
Prompted by a question on the monthly report about the police department's confidential informant line, which staff said is part of the department budget at about $75,000 (auto-captioned figure).
Staff explained that general fund balances left unspent are swept at year end, while special and grant funds stay set aside in separate accounts.
Discussed during the monthly financial reports. Committee members asked for a report on forfeiture receipts and the approval process for spending them.