A City Council committee is set to hold a hearing on lessening the burden of water bills on Chicagoans. And Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security to streamline work authorization for asylum seekers. 

A key City Council committee on Monday will consider a proposal to buy property from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) to operate a migrant shelter.

The county’s independent revenue forecasting body has finalized its annual set of recommendations, and the Cook County Board of Review has begun the 2023 tax session in the hopes of combatting delays that have affected tax bills in recent years.

Mayor Brandon Johnson during his first City Council meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

With more than three months of experience leading the city and working with Chicago’s 50 alderpersons under his belt, Mayor Brandon Johnson told The Daily Line he is confident his leadership style of listening to and collaborating with the City Council is permeating to other level of city government and its sister agencies.

File photo

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday announced the city filed a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai for failing to include “industry-standard engine immobilizers” in multiple vehicle models sold in the United States, “resulting in a steep rise in vehicle thefts, reckless driving, property damage, and a wide array of related violent crimes in Chicago,” according to a  news release from the mayor’s office.

A Chicago encampment highlighted in the OIG report. [Department of Family and Support Services]

A program coordinated by the city’s Department of Family and Support Services successfully provides rapid rehousing for unhoused Chicagoans living in encampments who want to pursue permanent housing, an audit from Chicago’s Office of Inspector General found.  

The audit also found city workers are giving residents in encampments proper notice before disposing of abandoned items and that the city did not permanently displace any residents living in encampments during the time under review. 

Chicago's skyline is pictured in this file photo.

As the city experiences its latest heat wave, officials with the city’s health department are waiting for the results of a heat study conducted last month that could provide crucial information about how to prevent and mitigate heat-related deaths and illnesses in the city.

In April, Chicago was among 18 communities selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to participate in this year’s urban heat island mapping campaign, a project NOAA has undertaken since 2017 and which is funded through the NOAA Climate Program Office, according to a NOAA spokesperson.  

Advocates for Bring Chicago Home held a rally at City Hall in July. [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line]

Details of the latest version of the Bring Chicago Home proposal to raise the city’s real estate transfer tax to eradicate homelessness are being presented to alderpersons this week after supporters said Mayor Brandon Johnson backed details of the proposal that’s been years in the making.

Cook County received its second ratings upgrade in a matter of years, and the county’s Independent Revenue Forecasting Commission will meet and consider a report of recommendations to the board of commissioners ahead of budget season.

Mayor Brandon Johnson during his inauguration in May. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Mayor Brandon Johnson received at least $724,800 in donations to his campaign chest during his first 100 days in office with much of the money flooding in from various labor unions. 

Cook County's Board of Commissioners attend a meeting in March 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

After months of delays, Cook County commissioners are now giving a firm deadline in which they would like to receive a cost comparison analysis report from the Cook County Board of Review on property tax administration software. 

The report, which is supposed to be crafted in conjunction with the county’s Bureau of Technology, was officially asked for through a February county board resolution but has failed to come to fruition by the required deadline as the Board of Review has blamed delays in receiving pricing information from a vendor and the need to allocate resources toward other priorities, notably property tax bill work.

Ald. Bill Conway (34) said he will propose to add a so-called “quite zone” outside a Family Planning Associates clinic where anti-abortion activists have harassed patients. And Mayor Brandon Johnson helped open the first day of the school year for Chicago Public Schools.

Cook County Democrats met last week to make endorsements for the 2024 election. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

While the Cook County Democratic Party gathered last week to make endorsements in higher profile races in the 2024 election, leaders of the party also endorsed four incumbents running for reelection to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board of Commissioners. 

 Related: Cook County Democrats back Clayton Harris for state’s attorney, Mariyana Spyropoulos for circuit court clerk 

The Cook County flag flies outside the county government building in downtown Chicago. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

On Thursday, Cook County announced the launch of the Businesses Reducing Impact on the Environment (BRITE) program, an initiative helmed by the county’s Department of Environment and Sustainability and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.   

The program is the latest environmental sustainability endeavor that is ARPA-funded. Cook County received $1 billion in federal pandemic relief funds in 2021, which has since been used for myriad programs related to economic assistance, public safety, climate action and infrastructure. The county has committed $100 million in ARPA funds toward environmental and climate related efforts, according to the county board president’s office.

A rendering of the development proposed for 1633 N. Halsted St. [City of Chicago presentation] 

The Chicago Plan Commission Thursday approved a development that if approved by the City Council would bring a nine-story, 131 residential unit building with 4,500 square feet of retail space to Lincoln Park near the Steppenwolf Theatre.