Last week, we reported on Chicago Ald. Joe Moore's (49th Ward) frustration with Mayor Daley's gambit to yank $35 million from a reserve fund created by the parking meter lease to refund some taxpayers between $25 and $200 on their property tax bills. On the floor Wednesday, Moore suggested that while the impact of the relief on most homeowners would be "very negligible," the city would get "a lot more bang for your buck" by making needed direct investments in mental health and other human services.

According to the Tribune, Moore and his colleagues took some action yesterday. At a meeting of the City Council Finance Committee, aldermen questioned the property tax relief plan and ultimately sent the measure back to the administration with instructions to target the relief to those who earned less than $100,000 a year. Some council members also suggested that the $35 million could instead be used to reduce the number of unpaid holidays and furlough days that would be imposed on some city employees next year.

Meanwhile, the Tribune further reports that Moore and Ald. Ed Smith (28th Ward) are attempting to fill a $2.4 million shortfall in the mental health budget -- the result of a "glitch" in the Department of Public Health's new $16 million billing software which led to a dramatic loss in state funding. We'll be keeping an eye on their progress.