Bally’s Corporation Chairman Soo Kim describes his firm’s casino proposal during a May 9 City Council committee hearing.

A committee meeting scheduled for Friday morning will mark a critical test of the City Council’s faith in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration as her top deputies prod aldermen put to Bally’s plan into motion to build a $1.7 billion casino and entertainment destination on the banks of the Chicago River.

Lightfoot’s team has argued the City Council must approve an ordinance this month authorizing a city-backed casino to open in Chicago so that officials can push forward with an application to the Illinois Gaming Board with enough time to cash in on a $40 million upfront payment from Bally’s before this budget year runs out. But scarcely three weeks after Lightfoot announced Bally’s as her administration’s pick, she must overcome a handful of aldermen who are deadset against the plan and many more who are reluctant to offer “yes” votes without more time to study the plan.