Chicago Animal Care and Control – BGA Policy 2026 Budget Snapshot

Departmental Highlights

Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2025 Budget

• Most of CACC's year-over-year changes at the individual appropriation level were relatively minor. A $108,921 increase in salaries and wages was the largest change from 2025.
• There were no changes in CACC's budgeted workforce. Headcount and titles are the same as the previous year's budget.
• Two of the department's budgeted full-time positions were persistent vacancies, meaning that the same title/division/section/subsection combination was vacant for all eight months of available data, with one vacancy each in the Executive Director and Veterinary Assistant titles. The current acting Executive Director, Susan Cappello, has been serving in an interim capacity since January 2023.

Historical Context

From 2011-2025, CACC's budget grew at an average rate of 5.7%, or 2.9% adjusted for inflation, compared to a citywide average rate of 8.3% (inflation-adjusted 4.4%).

Over the past three complete budget years for which local fund actuals/encumbrances data is available, CACC spent on average 89.4% of its locally funded budget, compared to the citywide average 86.4% local fund spend.

CACC's budgeted headcount has remained relatively stable for more than a decade, with an average rate of change from 2011-2025 of 0.5% annually, compared to a citywide average annual change of -0.1%.

(Budget data for CACC also includes the chairperson and eight members of the board, listed as annual positions under the position control 0, but these are unpaid positions and not included here in the department's budgeted headcount.)

From February through September of 2025, the months for which the city released full-time position vacancy data, CACC averaged a 9.7% vacancy rate, compared to the citywide average of 11.2%.

Two of the department's budgeted full-time positions were persistent vacancies, meaning that the same title/division/section/subsection combination was vacant for all eight months of available data, with one vacancy each in the Executive Director and Veterinary Assistant titles. The current acting Executive Director, Susan Cappello, has been serving in an interim capacity since January 2023.

Budgeted Position Changes

There were no changes in CACC's budgeted workforce. Headcount and titles are the same as the previous year's budget.

Appropriations

CACC is completely locally-funded in this year's budget proposal, with all departmental appropriations drawn from the Corporate Fund.

Largest Appropriations

As with most departments, personnel costs make up the bulk of CACC's appropriations, with salaries and wages on payroll by far the largest expense category.

In 2024, the most recent complete budget year for which local fund actuals and encumbrances data is available, CACC spent 88.2% of its locally-funded budget.

Change from Previous Year

Most of CACC's year-over-year changes at the individual appropriation level were relatively minor. A $108,921 increase in salaries and wages was the largest change from 2025.

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