Ald. Jason Ervin asked Department of Aviation Comm. Jamie Rhee questions during Wednesday’s budget committee meeting.

Aldermen opened the floodgates on Wednesday for the city to spend more than $100 million in federal pandemic-related grants to bolster O’Hare and Midway airports and feed a slew of other city programs related to health, transportation and small businesses.

The ordinance (SO2021-747) appropriating the federal COVID-19 grant funding was approved unanimously during the City Council’s Committee of Budget and Government Operations meeting on Wednesday. The latest draft of the ordinance approved by aldermen was not posted on the city clerk’s website until Wednesday afternoon after the meeting had adjourned.