The city treasurer and the city clerk are elected by the people. The main administrative departments are those of finance, law, public works, police, fire, health, public service, build ings, local improvements, municipal courts and public welfare. The board of education, the public library and the municipal tuberculosis sanatarium have special taxes levied for their support, but are, strictly speaking, departments of the city government. Each of the administra tive departments has a single head, except the library, educational system, house of correction, board of local improvements for the construc tion of street improvements by special assess ment and the municipal tuberculosis sanato rium, which are administered by boards ap pointed by the mayor. The city budget is made annually by the city council and the same body levies a tax to meet the greater part of the expenses. Water rates provide the cost of water supply. A very large proportion of the city's revenue, practically one-half, is derived licenses.
The board of education forms a branch of the city government. The 21 members are ap pointed by the mayor, subject to the approval of the city council. Seven are appointed each year for a term of three years. The city coun cil at the request of the board of education levies an annual tax on city property for the maintenance of the school system. The tax for the operation of the schools may not ex ceed 1.2 per cent on the assessed value of prop erty. An additional tax, usually one-half of 1 per cent, is levied for the purchase of sites and the construction of new buildings. In 1915 the school board received in taxes $14,536,608.63, of which $10,043,883.73 were levied for the op eration of schools and $4,492,724.90 for new buildings and sites. Besides revenue from taxes, the board of education received on leases of school property and from other sources, in 1915, $1,760,893.44. The total in come of the school board annually amounts to over $16,000,000. The public schools offer free education through all grades up to and includ ing the high schools, and the law makes ele mentary education required. The board of education also maintains the Chicago Normal School for the training of teachers. There are 23 high schools with an enrolment of more than 23,000 pupils, and 284 elementary schools. Students finishing the high school course are prepared to enter college. The total enrol ment of pupils in the public schools in 1915 was 317,004, with 7,865 teachers.
The Park System.— The parks of Chicago are in the main under control of three boards, one for each of the three sections of the city. These boards are municipal corporations, cre ated under State law and are independent of the city government. The members of the Lin coln Park board on the northside and those of the West Park board are appointed by the governor of the State. The members of the South Park board are appointed by the judges of the Circuit Court of Cook County. There are also a number of smaller park boards in the outlying sections of the city and the city (corporate) itself also has under its control many playgrounds and bathing beaches. The park system forms a girdle around the central portion of the city from Lincoln Park on the north shore to Jackson Park on the lake shore at the south. he various parks are connected by a series of boulevards. The total area of parks was 3,915.4 acres in 1915. There were
also 74.25 miles of parkways and boulevards. Funds for the parks are obtained by taxes levied by the boards on the property within their respective districts and by the sale of a limited amount of bonds.
Chicago has been greatly interested in the development of small parks varying in size from less than 10 acres to 75 acres, scattered through the congested portions of the city and equipped with gymnasiums, swimming pools and assembly halls. The equipment is in con stant use throughout the year and the parks serve as neighborhood community centres. There are 24 such parks and many other smaller playgrounds.
A metropolitan park district was created in 1913 by an act of the State legislature pro viding for the acquisition of forest areas in and near the city. Several large tracts aggre gating 5,000 acres have already been purchased. The proposed forest preserve area forms a ring around the city and lies just outside of the present city limits.
The Chicago Sanitary District.— The Chi cago sanitary district was authorized by act of the State legislature in 1889, ratified by vote of the people in the same year and organized in 1890. The water supply of the city is taken from the lake, being pumped into the mains from a series of stations at varying distances from the shore. The city drainage also was of ne cessity carried into the lake, either directly or by way of the river. Contamination of the water supply it was hoped to avoid by carrying the pumping stations farther into the lake than it was supposed the sewage outflow would go without purification by air and sun. As the city grew, however, it became manifest that the lake water was dangerous to health, and in the end the plan was devised of cutting a canal between the south branch of the Chicago River and the Desplaines River, with a pumping plant capable of turning the water of the south branch into the canal. Then, by connecting all the sewers with the river, it was intended to convert the city drainage into the Desplaines. As all parts of the city could not be included in the new drainage area, and also as a great part of that area must be outside the city limits, a drainage district was created known as the Chicago sanitary district. The construction and management of the canal within that dis trict was entrusted to a board of nine trustees, elected by the people. Funds were provided by bonds of the district and by taxation. The total cost of the work has been over $66,000,000. Earth was broken 3 Sept. 1892, and the water of the lake was turned into the canal 2 Jan. 1900. Since that date it may be noted that the Chi cago River no longer flows into Lake Michi gan. Its waters now reach the Mississippi. The sanitary district as originally created com prised all of Chicago north of 87th street and some 43 square miles north of Cook County outside of Chicago. The assessed value of tax able property in the district is $1,098,037,554, of which $1,000,797,060 belong to that portion within the city— a percentage of 90.2. By law the board was authorized to effect loans to the amount of 5 per cent of the value of the tax able property in the district, provided that the total should not exceed $15,000,000. The tax levy of the district must not exceed one-half of 1 per cent of the assessed value of taxable property in the district.