Department of Aviation – BGA Policy 2025 Budget Snapshot

Departmental Highlights

Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2024 Budget

• DoA's total appropriations are up 8.7% from what was originally budgeted in the 2024 appropriations ordinance. However, retroactive changes made to the 2024 appropriations data in the 2025 dataset by the Office of Budget and Management substantially modified the amounts, meaning the 2025 dataset shows a -2.4% decrease in DoA appropriations. OBM has not responded to BGA Policy questions about the retroactive changes.
• Budgeted DoA headcount is up a net 110 positions/FTEs, including 50 additional aviation security officers, 12 new administrative and personnel assistant positions (after accounting for title changes), 10 additional motor pool drivers, and six more assistant commissioners. All told, the department increased headcount or added a new title for 45 unique titles, with reductions or eliminations in 13.
• Overall laborer FTEs declined slightly, down a net -2 across the laborer, construction laborer, general laborer - aviation, and stores laborer titles.
• As with several other departments, DoA's budget includes a "reserve balance" appropriation from a number of grant funds. This appropriation, which appears in several department's budgets and has been retroactively added to 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year's budget at the time of its passage. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.
• DoA's largest single-category reduction from the previous year's budget is a -$609.4 million (-60.4%) in professional and technical services, which nonetheless remained the department's largest appropriation.
• Apart from the new reserve balance category, the largest appropriations increases were a $14.6 million (14.1%) bump in rental equipment and services and a $14 million (17.7%) increase to maintenance of facilities.

Historical Context

As a self-funded department, the Department of Aviation's budget resources are less dependent on overall city revenues. Appropriations are typically closely tied to revenues from O'Hare and Midway airport operations: the higher the city's airport revenues, the more funds are available for DoA budgets.

From 2011-2024, the department budget grew at an average rate of 10.6% per year. Departmental budgets overall increased an average of 6.1% per year over the same time period, while the total city budget including Finance General appropriations grew at an average rate of 8.5% annually.

The Department of Aviation's budgeted workforce grew at a rate of roughly 4.4% annually from 2011-2024. Overall budgeted positions for the city remained relatively flat across the same time periods, with minor year-to-year fluctuations averaging out to an overall growth rate of 0.04%.

Staffing

Budgeted DoA headcount is up a net 110 positions/FTEs, including 50 additional aviation security officers, 12 new administrative and personnel assistant positions (after accounting for title changes), 10 additional motor pool drivers, and six more assistant commissioners.

Overall laborer FTEs declined slightly, down a net -2 across the laborer, construction laborer, general laborer - aviation, and stores laborer titles.

All told, the department increased headcount or added a new title for 45 unique titles, with reductions or eliminations in 13.

Appropriations

The Department of Aviation is considered a self-funding department, relying primarily on department-specific federal grants and on the city's two airport funds for its appropriations.

Largest Appropriations

As with several other departments, DoA's budget includes a "reserve balance" appropriation from a number of grant funds. This appropriation, which appears in several department's budgets and has been retroactively added to 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year's budget at the time of its passage. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.

Setting aside the new reserve balance appropriation, outside contracting through the professional and technical services appropriation is DoA's largest single-category appropriation, despite a -60.4% reduction from the previous year's budget.

Change from Previous Year

"DoA's total appropriations are up 8.7% from what was originally budgeted in the 2024 appropriations ordinance. However, retroactive changes made to the 2024 appropriations data in the 2025 dataset by the Office of Budget and Management substantially modified the amounts, meaning the 2025 dataset shows a -2.4% decrease in DoA appropriations. OBM has not responded to BGA Policy questions about the retroactive changes."

DoA's largest single-category reduction from the previous year's budget is a -$609.4 million (-60.4%) in professional and technical services, which nonetheless remained the department's largest appropriation.

Apart from the new reserve balance category, the largest appropriations increases were a $14.6 million (14.1%) bump in rental equipment and services and a $14 million (17.7%) increase to maintenance of facilities.

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