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Chicago’s mayor has announced that various public departments will likely have to lay off workers and make cuts to have 75 million dollars more in savings in the upcoming year. Chicago’s local government is facing a 223 million dollar budget gap and is working towards getting rid of a 982 million dollar deficit. Departments were previously told to decrease budgets by three percent, but now they are being told to make further cuts. The mayor states that the determining potential cuts is an exercise, and does not know if the layoffs will actually be implemented. The Chicago Police Department will stall new recruit classes for the next couple of months, and the next group of recruits will begin in early December. The police force is facing officer shortages and has been attempting to improve recruiting efforts. This contradicts the mayor’s earlier decision to exempt police officers and firefighters from a citywide hiring freeze.