City Hall is pictured. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released an investigation that concluded the Chicago Community Catalyst Fund has been insufficiently utilized and failed to regularly report its activities just days after Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin said she intended to dissolve it.

Businessman Willie Wilson is pictured. [Campaign photo]

Businessman and philanthropist Willie Wilson officially announced his fourth bid for Chicago mayor this week.

A rendering of the Bally's Chicago casino project is pictured.

A group of more than two dozen alderpeople are calling for representatives from Bally’s and members of the Johnson administration to appear for a hearing to answer questions about the forthcoming riverfront casino operator’s amendment to its construction plans and the city’s ability to hold them accountable for any potential breach of the agreement with the company.

Ashlee Gabrysch is pictured. [Mayor's Office]

The mayor has hired a former regional director for Fitch Ratings as the city's new chief financial officer as the start of the 2027 budget season approaches.

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

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is taking aim at the impact of data centers in Chicago by trying to pause their development in the short term while it updates regulations to account for the demands and mitigate the negative impacts of modern data center construction and operation.

A rendering of the inside of the Bally's Chicago casino is pictured. [Bally's Chicago]

Bally’s Chicago says it is amending construction plans for its downtown casino project by pausing the buildout of certain ancillary amenities and blaming the city’s legalization of video gambling for the decision.

A group of a dozen alderpeople are calling for the city to change its legal settlement policy after a man was awarded an $8 million wrongful conviction settlement while in custody on unrelated charges of soliciting a minor for sex.

Mayoral candidate and lobbyist John Kelly is pictured. [Mark Black/Kelly Campaign]

A longtime Chicago-based lobbyist is seeking to move in front of the spotlight and up to the fifth floor next year as he plans to compete in the increasingly crowded mayor’s race.

Former Budget Director Annette Guzman is pictured at a press conference on April 1, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

City Budget Director Annette Guzman became the latest leader on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget and finance team to depart in a matter of days this week ahead of the city’s expected release of its preliminary budget forecast this month and, with it, the start of budget season in earnest.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi speaks at a mid-year budget hearing on July 23, 2026. [Livestream]

Outgoing Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi used his July mid-year budget hearing to answer questions for county commissioners about how a new uniform approach to valuation methodology for commercial properties hopes to ease property tax volatility.

Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a press conference on March 18, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

For the second year in a row, Chicago will expand its number of designated Sustainable Community Schools (SCS) as a result of provisions negotiated in the latest Chicago Teachers Union contract approved last year.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias appears in a campaign launch ad for mayor of Chicago. [Giannoulias campaign] 

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias officially threw his hat into the ring for Chicago mayor Sunday with a rally at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134 hall in Bronzeville, entering the race with a multimillion-dollar war chest and a message of collaboration to tackle the city’s myriad issues.

Renderings show the proposed master plan for the Foundry Park development site. [Chicago Department of Planning and Development presentation]

On the heels of Chicago approving hundreds of millions of dollars in tax increment financing (TIF) assistance for the mixed-use development in the South Loop that will be anchored by a new Chicago Fire soccer stadium, the Johnson administration is proposing more than $200 million in TIF assistance for the development now moving forward on part of the site once envisioned as Lincoln Yards.

Cook County Health CEO Erik Mikaitis speaks to the county Finance Committee on July 21, 2026. [Livestream]

The leaders of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System conservatively expect to spend half a billion dollars caring for uninsured patients next year as Republican-led federal changes to Medicaid boot thousands from their plans, contributing to “one of the most financially challenging years our health system has faced in recent memory,” Cook County Health CEO Erik Mikaitis said in a mid-year hearing last week.

Chicago City Hall is pictured. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Nearly six months after stepping into the city’s chief financial officer role on an acting basis, acting CFO Steven Mahr has left the job just before another likely contentious city budget season begins.