Mayor Brandon Johnson presides over a City Council meeting on Dec. 16, 2024. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council on Wednesday will consider final approval of a ban on the sale of most fur products, a police misconduct settlement stemming from an excessive force investigation, a housing development catering to Indigenous culture and a new community arts center.

The council, which meets at 10 a.m., will also vote on whether to confirm a permanent head of the business and consumer affairs department and six new members of the city’s culture and arts advisory council.

The City Council will consider whether to approve a proposal from Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) to ban the sale or trade of most fur products in Chicago. The ordinance (SO2023-0002983) was approved by the Committee on License and Consumer Protection last week.

The ban would apply to sellers within city limits and buyers who take “physical possession of the fur product” in the city — which would cover somebody ordering an item to a store in the city and picking it up. If approved, the ban would take effect one year after adoption. Violators of the ordinance would face a $500 fine for each offense, which would stack each day an offense was committed. 

Animal rights advocates note that fur production is already on the decline, according to the Fur Free Alliance, but Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) was one of three no votes at the committee meeting, saying he has two furriers in his ward that would be put out of business by the ban.

The proposed law would include exceptions for fur products sold at resale and thrift stores, used for religious purposes, used for cultural and spiritual purposes by a Native American tribe or used in a manner “expressly authorized” by state or federal law. 

Related: License committee approves BACP commissioner appointment, fur product ban  

The council will also consider the appointment of Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) Acting Comm. Ivan Capifali, who took over as acting head of the department following former BACP Comm. Ken Meyer’s retirement last summer, to lead BACP on a permanent basis. 

The appointment of Capifali, who previously served as BACP’s first deputy commissioner, was approved by the license and consumer protection committee last week.  

The council will consider final approval of items that passed the Committee on Finance earlier this week, including a $280,000 legal settlement to GoodKids MadCity organizer Miracle Boyd, who had one and a half of her teeth knocked out by a police officer during a racial justice protest in 2020, and nearly $10 million in city financial assistance for Chicago’s first Native American-focused affordable housing development. 

Related: Finance committee approves Miracle Boyd settlement, Native American-focused affordable housing development  

Alderpeople will also consider final approval of items that passed the council Committee on Housing and Real Estate last week, such as land sales to support the Firebird Community Arts center, the renewal of a lease for the Garfield Ridge Chicago Public Library Branch and the renewal of a lease that allows children’s literacy organization SitStayRead to use a public health department facility in the 44th Ward. 

Related: Housing committee approves land sales to support community arts center, lease renewal for Garfield Ridge public library branch  

The council will consider final approval of six appointments to the Cultural Affairs and Special Events Advisory Council. The Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation approved the six candidates Monday. 

The appointees are Camille Bacon, the editor-in-chief of arts and culture magazine Jupiter Magazine; Diane Dinkins-Carr, a fine arts appraiser and consultant and former president of the South Side Community Arts Center; Leslé Honore, CEO of arts education nonprofit Urban Gateways; Tony Karman, president and executive director of the annual contemporary and modern art fair EXPO Chicago; Richard Logan, executive director and board president for The Reva and David Logan Foundation; and Patric McCoy, a noted South Side art collector.

Related: Culture and arts committee approves appointments to Cultural Affairs and Special Events Advisory Council 

Finally, alderpeople will consider final approval of various measures approved by the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on Tuesday, including a landmark designation for one of the downtown office buildings planned to be converted into mixed-income housing under LaSalle Reimagined.

Related: Zoning committee advances landmark designation for former Bell Federal Savings building, delays approval of Lincoln Park apartment tower

Correction: This article was updated to state the correct amount of the Miracle Boyd settlement agreement.