Emanuel: Better Use Of City's Grant Money Could Save Taxpayers $20M

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel is announcing budget reforms that will ensure federal and state grants are spent in full, and thus, taxpayers are saved money.

In a news release, the mayor said the city is spending millions of dollars in taxpayer-generated funds when it could be spending money from grants that do not cost city taxpayers. But with the reforms, Emanuel said in the release, "the city will not leave one grant dollar on the table."

The reforms the mayor has ordered from the Office of Budget and Management include properly charging grants – rather than taxpayer-supported corporate revenue funds – for the personnel that support programs and for administrative support.

The grants reimbursement project also needs to be restructured, the Mayor's office news release said.

Emanuel has also ordered the Budget Office to form a grant management unit, which will be designed specifically to oversee the management and disbursement of grant money.

The mayor is also calling for more aggressive pursuit of state and federal grants.

With the reforms, the city expects to save $20 million in corporate fund dollars in 2012.