Evanston tax payers paid $47,331 for food for City Council and other meetings in the last year, not including travel-expensed meals.
As with the other City accounting, the funding for food for meetings varies widely—restaurant charges appear as Medical and Lab Supplies, bagels come from Equipment & Tools funding. Cross-departmental accounting, non-itemized expenses and charges without receipts also make it difficult to determine actual spending totals.
COUNCIL MEETING MEALS: $6,449
Meals are provided to Council members and staff before every City Council meeting, averaging $200 per meeting, for a total of $6,449. (Funding from #65025 Food)
CITY MANAGER-ALDERMEN LUNCHES: $2,512
The City manager was reimbursed for 82 lunches over the past 12 months, mostly with aldermen. Of that $2,512, $2,040 wasn’t itemized, nor were receipts provided. (Funding from #62605 Other Charges & #62295 Travel & Training)
OTHER CITY MANAGER/FINANCE LUNCHES: $9,878
Meals with other City staff and non-City officials accounted for almost $10,000 in spending, with funding sources widely varied. (Funding from #65095 Office Supplies, #41307 Reserve LEP Violation Fines, #62662 Business Retention/Expansion, #62660 Business Attraction/Expansion, #62295 Travel & Training, #62605 Other Charges, #62605 Other Charges, #65125 Other Commodities, #62490 Other Program Costs and #66040 General Administration & Support)
OTHER MAYORAL-ALDERMANIC EVENTS: $5,351
Charges for meals with local business leaders, State of the City Luncheon, and Council Goals Meeting, meal costs unspecified). (Funding from #65025 Food, #62295 Travel & Training and #62490 Other Program Costs)
CMO/CFO RECRUITMENT (over 2 days): $518
Meals for Panel for 1-day Chief Financial Officer search and 1-day of City Attorney interviews. (Funding from #62512 Recruitment Services)
PUBLIC WORKS: $4,325
The $4,775 was primarily spent for training meetings and also include meetings with the City Manager. (Funding from #62295 Travel & Training, #65025 Food and #62235 Office Equipment)
CITY & OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE: $3,904
Almost all of the other costs $3,300 in spending on the staff luncheon, up from $312 during the last #22790 Employee Advisory Committee luncheon in 2014. Though the lunch is for all City employees, it appears as a Parks & Rec budget item.
Fruit for staff during the City’s Wellness Initiative accounted for $377 in charges. (Funding from #22790 Employee Advisory Committee and #65025 Food)
PARKS & REC: $3,149
Most of the $3,149 charged are from staff and training lunches. (Funding from #65025 Food, #65125 Other Commodities, #62490 Other Program Costs and #62295 Travel & Training)
HUMAN RESOURCES: $2,574
Human Resources food costs chiefly consisted of Lunch & Learn Sessions, Recognition Lunches and Panel Interviews. (Funding from #62310 City Wide Trainings (HR Only), #65125 Other Commodities and #62295 Training & Travel)
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES $2,430
More than half of the $2,430 came from Personal Expenses with General Assistance Clients, seconded by Public Health Week Seminar Lunches. (Funding from #64567 Personal Expenses, #65025 Food, #62295 Travel & Training and #62490 Other Program Costs)
FACILITIES: $1,223
None of the $1,223 charged for meals within the Facilities Division are charged under Food, but rather as Office Supplies or Building Maintenance Materials. (Funding from #65095 Office Supplies, #65050 Building Maintenance Material, #65090 Safety Equipment and #65125 Other Commodities)
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: $1,163
Like City Manager meal charges, most of the $1,163 spent in Community Development is funded by Business Retention/Expansion budget. One Business Retention charge at Cupitol is listed as “Meeting with Property Owner to Discuss Disposition” (Funding from #62662 Business Retention/Expansion and #65025 Food)
POLICE DEPT: $1,132
The top food expense for the Police Department is $202 for the Evanston Chamber Network Breakfast, with funding coming from Public Works Contingencies. No further explanation as to the item’s relation to the Police Department is given. Remaining charges are primarily for staff and training lunches. (Funding from #68205 Public Works Contingencies, #65095 Office Supplies, #62370 Expense Allowance, #62295 Training & Travel and #62490 Other Program Costs)
FIRE DEPT: $1,114
Food costs for the Fire Department chiefly consist of meeting and seminar refreshments, cakes for promotions and Cert Supplies. Funding sources vary from Medical and Lab Supplies for meals from Potbelly, to Minor Equipment & Tools for Bagels. (Funding from #62295 Training & Travel, #65125 Other Commodities, #65075 Medical & Lab Supplies, #65085 Minor Equipment & Tools and #65105 Photo/Drafting Supplies)
PARKING: $471
The top food expense for the Parking Division was $187 spent at Bar Louis, with Funding from Other Commodities. A retirement party and welcome lunch comprise the remaining Parking Division’s $284 spent on food costs.(Funding from #65125 Other Commodities and #65025 Food)
311 CENTER: $406
More than half of 311’s food costs are from an Anniversary lunch, with the remaining from training, staff meetings and refreshments. All of the funding came from Telecommunications Carrier Line. (Funding from #64505 Telecommunications Carrier Line)
LAW DEPT: $307
The Law Department’s food costs were primarily for Employee Appreciation lunches and a party for the outgoing Corporation Counsel, Grant Farrar. (Funding from #65125 Other Commodities and# 65025 Food)
CLERK’S OFFICE: $220
Office lunches comprise all of the Clerk’s Office food spending. All expenses were attributed to the Food Fund. (Funding from #65025 Food)
INFO SYSTEMS: $204
The IT Department’s Holiday Dinner at Bangers & Lace was the top food cost for the Information Systems Division. A staff dinner during a network cutover and team training brunch account for the remaining costs. (Funding from #65025 Food and #62295 Training & Travel)