The Chicago Commission on Human Relations is the investigatory and enforcement agency for Chicago’s Human Rights and Fair Housing ordinances. The Commission also provides support for hate crime victims and oversees advisory councils on equity, LGBTQ+ issues, new Americans, veterans’ affairs, and women.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2026 Budget
CHHR’s budgeted headcount remains unchanged in the 2027 proposal, with title/grade shifts the only changes in budgeted positions.
All of CCHR’s proposed appropriations-level changes were less than $100,000. The largest increases were in fringe benefits for grant-funded employees and dues, subscriptions, and memberships, with the largest decrease in salaries and wages on payroll.
In 2025, the most recent complete budget year for which local fund actuals and encumbrances data is available, CCHR went over-budget, exceeding its appropriation for personnel services by $42,808, or 3.1%.
Historical Context
From 2011-2026, CCHR’s budget decreased at an average rate of -0.5% annually, or -2.6% when adjusted for inflation through 2025, compared to a citywide average rate of 5.5% (inflation-adjusted 3.2%). The current proposal would increase the department’s appropriations by 2.8% from the previous year.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Appropriations and Inflation-adjusted Appropriations (2025 dollars)
Values in nominal dollars.
Values in 2025 dollars. No supplied inflation factors for 2026, 2027; those years remain gaps.
City budgets do not break out “fringe” pension and benefit costs for non-grant positions by department, instead grouping them together as citywide expenses under the Finance General section of the budget. To better reflect the real cost of service for departmental operations, BGA Policy has included an estimate of pension and benefit costs for the years 2018-2026, using Department of Finance fringe memos from each relevant year. An estimated fringe cost for the 2027 proposal uses the average annual rate of increase for each of the inputs into the fringe formulae.
Based on the city’s fringe formulae, the DEPT fringe cost for nongrant employees averaged 21.2% from 2018-2026, compared to a citywide average of 26.8%.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Appropriations with Estimated Fringe Cost of Pensions and Benefits for Budgeted Non-grant Positions, 2018–2027 (proposed)
Over the past four complete budget years for which local fund actuals/encumbrances data is available, CCHR spent on average 96.0% of its locally funded budget, including slight overspend in 2024 and 2025, compared to the citywide average 86.6% local fund spend.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Local Fund Actuals, 2022–2025
Rahm Emanuel’s first budget (2012) reduced CCHR’s budgeted workforce by about a third. Headcount has remained relatively stable since, fluctuating between 19-21 positions budgeted annually from 2012-2026.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Budgeted Workforce, 2011–2027 (proposed)
From January through September of 2026, the months for which full-time position vacancy data is currently available, CCHR averaged a 3.9% vacancy rate, compared to the citywide average of 11.2%.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Full-time Vacancies, Jan-Sept 2026
None of the department’s budgeted full-time positions were persistent vacancies (defined as the number of positions within the same combination of title, subsection, section, division, department, and fund codes that remained vacant in all nine months of available data).
Budgeted Position Changes
CHHR’s budgeted headcount remains unchanged, with title/grade shifts the only changes in budgeted positions.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Net and Percent Position/FTE Changes, 2026 to 2027 (Proposed) Budgets
CCHR is 60% locally-funded in this year’s budget proposal, the same as in the previous year. All of the department’s local funds come from the city’s general-purpose corporate fund.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Fund Comparison, 2026–2027
As with most departments, personnel costs make up the bulk of CCHR’s appropriations, with salaries and wages on payroll by far the largest expense category.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Top 10 Largest Appropriations, 2027 proposed
In 2025, the most recent complete budget year for which local fund actuals and encumbrances data is available, CCHR spent 102.4% of its locally-funded budget, exceeding its budget for personnel services by $42,808, or 3.1%.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations 2025 Actual Spend (Local Funds)
All of CCHR’s proposed appropriations-level changes were less than $100,000. The largest increases were in fringe benefits for grant-funded employees and dues, subscriptions, and memberships, with the largest decrease in salaries and wages on payroll.
Chicago Commission on Human Relations Net and Percent Appropriation Changes, 2026 to 2027 (proposed) Budgets
Geoffrey Cubbage analyzes policy and budgets at the Better Government Association, covering state lawmakers and Chicago City Council. He joined BGA in 2022 after directing policy and economic development for Chicago’s 40th Ward.
