Hailing it as a “significant step in rolling back 30 years of failed tough-on-crime policies that have torn apart communities of color and failed to improve public safety,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and state lawmakers unveiled Preckwinkle’s legislative agenda on criminal justice at a press conference Tuesday.

The agenda consists of four bills introduced in the Illinois General Assembly, sponsored by State Sen. Kwame Raoul, Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, and Rep. Elaine Nekritz. Per the President’s office: 

• SB 3292 (Raoul) - Once amended, will:

  • Make residential burglary, second and subsequent Class 2 felonies, and certain drug violations probationable (per the recommendation of the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform).

  • Create misdemeanor-level possession of a controlled substance offense for 1 gram or under.

  • Narrow the scope of the Class X sentence enhancement for repeat offenders to focus primarily on violent crimes.

• HB 6290 (Nekritz) - Would ban commitment of juveniles to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice for any offense under the Illinois Controlled Substances Act.

• HB 6291 (Nekritz) - Would end mandatory 5-year probation for juveniles for Class X and Forcible Felonies.

• HB 2470 (Currie) - Would provide periodic judicial review of sentences for anyone sentenced to 40 years or more as a juvenile in adult court.

Preckwinkle said these changes will help to reduce the state prison population, improve public safety, and bring juvenile justice laws in line with research and best practices. Commissioners Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Stanley Moore, Luis Arroyo, Jr. and State Rep. Elgie Sims were also in attendance. Preckwinkle thanked the ACLU, the Cook County Public Defender and Restore Justice Illinois “for their partnership.”

It’s the second initiative Preckwinkle has announced in as many weeks to reduce prison populations. On Feb 29, she and officials from the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) announced a series of behavioral health initiatives aimed at reducing costs and the headcount at Cook County Jail. Those proposals include a planned early intervention triage center on the city’s South Side, a behavioral health partnership with groups like C4 and Metropolitan Family Services, expanded substance abuse treatment, and integrating behavioral health services with primary care at CCHHS’ 16 community health centers.

In a statement, Dr. Jay Shannon, CEO of CCHHS said, “Waiting until an at-risk individual is arrested and detained is both costly and a failure of our societal systems. If we can employ strategies to link individuals with the needed services before they commit a crime related to untreated or undertreated behavioral health disorders, then we can reduce the jail population, emergency room visits and improve the health and safety of our communities.”

Ald. Anthony Napolitano’s (41) ordinance giving City Council greater oversight over the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) will get its day in Committee tomorrow, despite Napolitano’s contention that the Emanuel administration told him to “make [the ordinance] go away.” Owen Kilmer with the CDA confirmed Aviation officials will be in attendance. It’s the only agenda item listed, and has eight co-sponsors.

CDA has argued the ordinance would endanger federal funding, violate Illinois law and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and bump up against intergovernmental agreements with DuPage County. CDA reiterated a statement they gave Aldertrack earlier this month: “This ordinance is a step in the wrong direction for the city of Chicago and the residents who live near O’Hare International Airport. Specifically, the ordinance would result in severe economic implications for the city, stunt O’Hare’s growth as a world-class airport, and jeopardize the important progress the city is making in providing noise relief for residents.”

Ald. Napolitano sent an e-blast to subscribers announcing the ordinance would be heard and encouraging all residents to “attend the hearing and show support for this Ordinance.” He told Aldertrack his ward office gets tens of thousands of O’Hare noise complaints every month.

A week ago, he shared email addresses for members of the City Council’s Aviation Committee, asking subscribers and Facebook followers to lobby members to support the ordinance, as did the FAiR Allocation in Runways Coalition.

After Aviation Chairman Michael Zalewski (23) held a briefing on the ordinance last week, Napolitano followed up with Aviation Committee members in an email, saying “Our focus should be on building more gates and expanding western access,” at O’Hare, and that his ordinance simply does two things: “puts an immediate halt on runway changes and requires [Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans] to obtain Council approval prior to moving forward on any changes” and “asks for the immediate reopening of diagonal runway 14L/32R,” which closed this summer.

Comm. Evans has said that runway was unsafe because it cuts across others and reduces efficiency, but proponents have said the diagonal runways help cut down on noise from planes arriving and departing over the North Side of Chicago, which Napolitano represents.

FAiR has written, “The diagonal runways are a vital component of FAiR’s solutions to the noise and pollution crisis, bringing some relief to the surrounding communities,” and called for coalition members to lobby committee members. “We need all hands on deck. The time is now!!”

The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce voiced its concerns in a letter sent to Napolitano and committee members. Michael Reever, Vice President of Government Relations with the Chamber, called the ordinance “shortsighted and irresponsible,” and said it puts the $1.3 billion O’Hare Modernization Program investment at risk. “This ordinance, if passed, would grind to a halt the recent financial investments announced by our airline partners totaling over $1.3 billion, and the estimated 5,000-6,000 full and part time jobs along with it. Investments that do not involve taxpayer funds. It threatens the ability of the airport to function at all.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Office would not release a list of people who applied to replace 4th Ward Ald. Will Burns on the Council to Aldertrack, but instead responded in an email, “Like vacancies that have happened in the past few years, we won't be releasing a list of applicants' names.”

The application deadline for those interested in applying to fill Ald. Will Burn’s vacancy on the City Council was last Friday. Mayor Rahm Emanuel would appoint the interim Alderman to fill a term until the Illinois municipal elections in March 2017, when a special election would be held for a two-year term.

Aldertrack has learned some names discussed by community leaders include:

• Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes, senior pastor of the West Point Ministry Baptist Church.

• Ghian Foreman, Executive Director of the Greater Southwest Development Corporation, a community development agency, and a member of the city’s Police Board. Foreman was appointed to the Police Board in 2010 by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley.

• Bernita Johnson-Gabriel, Executive Director of the Quad Communities Development Corporation (QCDC), “a non-profit organization focused on economic development, education, and employment in the south lakefront communities of North Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas, and Grand Boulevard.” QCDC oversees two Special Service Areas in the 4th Ward: SSA #54 Bronzeville and SSA #47 Cottage Grove/47th St.

• Tracey Bey, who founded her own mortgage brokerage firm, Bey Financial Corporation, and ran for alderman against Burns in the most recent election, garnering 25% of the vote.

A five-member task force appointed by the Mayor will review the applications submitted and interview candidates. Following their review, the task force will submit the names of three finalists to the Mayor. Emanuel will announce his final pick on April 29, and the new alderman will be sworn in at the May 18th City Council meeting.

At 1:00 p.m. the Committee on Economic, Capital, and Technology Development will take up one property tax incentive application the Mayor introduced to help support a new boutique hotel near Midway Airport.

Parth 13, Inc., a corporation owned by Amit Patel, is applying for a Class 7(c) tax incentive for a new Best Western Hotel planned at the site of the former Alamo Car Rental building at 6501-6549 S. Cicero Ave. Part of Best Western's new upscale lifestyle brand “Vib,” the 31,000-square-foot, three-story, 74-room hotel will cater to business travelers. Other amenities include a cafe lounge, fitness center, and a 2,500-square-foot restaurant.

“With a design intended to reflect the newly-launched brand, along with modern tech amenities, the hotel would be the first to be built in Chicago near Midway in decades, ” according to a press release from the Mayor’s office.

The Class 7(c) incentive reduces the Cook County property tax assessment to 10% for the first three years, 15% in the fourth year, and 20% in the fifth year. Best Western is estimated to save $466,000 in property taxes if the Council approves the designation.

This isn’t the first time this hotel has been brought up at City Hall. In November, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a special use permit for the hotel. Earlier in 2015, Patel received approval from the Council's Zoning Committee to build the three-story franchise hotel with 69 rooms.

The Council’s License Committee won’t take up any of the shared-housing plans that seek to regulate business like Airbnb, but they will take up an ordinance from Mayor Rahm Emanuel that would amend regulations for horse-drawn carriage and pedicab licenses, in addition to a proposal by Ald. Deb Silverstein (50) to legalize certain “cat cafés” in Chicago.

As previously reported, the competing Airbnb ordinances will be immediately referred to a joint committee of the Council’s License and Housing Committee. The decision to hold a special joint meeting is due to the fact that the plans address licensing and housing concerns, a legislative aide for the License Committee told Aldertrack last week. A date for that hearing is still unknown.   

The ordinance from Mayor Emanuel regarding horse-drawn carriage chauffeur and pedicab licenses was introduced in February on behalf of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP).

It removes the provision requiring operators of horse-drawn carriages, “speak, read and write the English language,” when applying for the license, and adds a requirement that applicants can’t have been found guilty of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of a “controlled substance or cannabis.” Before, it was just alcohol.

As for changes to the pedicab license, it adds a section clarifying the definition of a pedicab license: “A person engages in a pedicab business by seeking or accepting a fee, an economic benefit of a donation or gratuity, or any form of compensation (goods or services) for providing transportation to passengers in a pedicab.”

According to the Sun Times, the change is aimed at “removing ambiguity,” as to who is required to get a pedicab license, after reports of pedicab drivers circumventing the license requirement by giving rides for free while encouraging tips.

The ordinance also removed the provision requiring that each taxicab licensee submit an affidavit when they renew their license, detailing all lease rates, fees, and charges associated with the leasing of the taxicab.

Ald. Silverstein’s application would let animal shelters serve non-alcoholic drinks, but beverages could only be sold in a designated cafe area and to prospective adopters.

The two-year permit would cost $250, and only applicants with a valid animal care license, or a member of a human society “whose mission is to rescue animals” would be eligible. The city’s health department would enforce the rules and violators could face up to $1,000 in fines.

So far, only one organization in Chicago, Uptown’s Tree House Humane Society, is getting into the cat cafe business. The group plans to open a $7 million, 15,000-square-foot care facility called Cat’fe at 7225 N. Western Avenue this Spring. The state-of-the-art adoption center will house approximately 200 cats, and will include a veterinary clinic, an education center, and a pet food pantry and supply store, according to their website.  

Following inaction in Springfield on Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s property tax relief plan and a looming April 30th deadline to consider a city-run program, Ald. Proco Joe Moreno (1) and co-sponsors will hold a press conference at 10:00 a.m. today to call on the Finance Committee to hold a hearing on a Property Tax Relief Program he introduced in September. The Finance Committee meets this Friday at 10:00 a.m.

“We can not wait for Springfield to act on this important issue–our city must take action now and pass this important rebate program!” Moreno wrote in a recent Facebook post. Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6), Ald. Michael Scott Jr. (24), Ald. Danny Solis (25), Ald. Milly Santiago (31), Ald. James Cappleman (46), Ald. Ameya Pawar(47), and Ald. Joe Moore (49) are co-sponsors and have been invited to attend the press conference. “Families impacted by the property tax increase” will also be in attendance, according to a Moreno staffer.

Since Mayor Emanuel announced a historic property tax hike last fall to shore up funds for the city’s Police and Fire pensions, aldermen have proposed three different relief plans to mitigate the stress on homeowners.

Expressing worry that Springfield wouldn’t get their act together in time to approve Mayor Emanuel’s plan to double the Homestead exemption from $7,000 to $14,000 by this spring, the City Council adopted a resolution that set an April 30th deadline for the City to adopt a property tax relief plan of its own.

Officials with the City’s Budget Office, who spoke on background, told Aldertrack they’re looking at the various proposals and will meet with aldermen over the next few weeks to come up with an official city-run plan. It’s likely that plan won’t base rebates on home value, which they called “regressive.” The city is more interested in a “progressive” and simple plan focused on low income residents, they told Aldertrack.

The various plans on the table:

• Homestead exemption from Mayor Emanuel: A doubling of the homestead exemption from $7,000 to $14,000 in Springfield was painted as a home run by the Emanuel administration, since it didn’t cost the state anything and would give homeowners across the board some property tax relief. In a statement in October, the Mayor’s office said “any resident whose home is valued at $250,000 or less will be held nearly harmless over the four year phase in of the property tax increase, with many seeing a decrease in their bill.” But like most things in Springfield lately, the amendment hasn’t moved in months.

• Ald. Moreno’s Plan: Moreno’s ordinance is intended for homeowners with income under $100,000, with a higher rebate rate for those earning less. The rebate rate is multiplied by the difference in the City’s real estate tax assessment rate from last year to this year, then multiplied by the assessed value of the house. Moreno’s office said 57% of the occupied household population in Chicago would potentially be eligible to apply for relief under his ordinance.

• Ald. Smith’s Plan: It was included in the same resolution that set the April 30th deadline, which passed as part of the consent calendar on the day of the budget vote. Ald. Michele Smith (43) and Ald. John Arena’s (45) resolution urges Springfield to pass the Mayor’s Homestead Exemption in Springfield, but if the exemption isn’t passed into law by April 30, 2016, the City Council would “consider an ordinance creating a City-administered Property Tax Rebate Program…” by June 1 “taking into account the numbers of years that such homeowners have resided in their homes, their age, their income, and the disproportionate impact upon them of the increased property tax levies and the 2016 reassessment of property values in Cook County.”
  
  The text of the resolution draws from Ald. Smith’s ordinance. Ald. Arena told Aldertrack at the time the rebate deal is why none of the Progressive Caucus’ revenue amendments introduced the week before the budget succeeded. Since a rebate plan is estimated to cost between $20 and $40 million dollars, depending on how many people apply, and since the city doesn’t currently have a dedicated revenue source to pay for it, some of the Progressive Caucus ordinances, like closing amusement tax loopholes, are being held back as potential ways to pay for the rebate, Arena said.

• Ald. Rosa’s Plan: Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), partnering with other Progressive Caucus members, introduced an ordinance that “makes use of fund set aside from the City's underutilized 2010 Property Tax Rebate program. In 2010 the City allocated $35,000,000 for a rebate, of which only $2.1 million was distributed,” according to a release from Rosa’s office. Rather than calculate a rebate based on the value of a home, the rebate would target income within 400% of the federal poverty level. “This would include single homeowners earning $47,080 (roughly the median income of the City of Chicago), and couples earning a combined income of $63,720,” the release says.  

As reported by the Chicago Board of Elections.

Unofficial Early Voting – Day by Day – Citywide data through 6:30 p.m., March 6, 2016
Ballots       Date      Sites Open

190	Feb 17	1 site
194	Feb 18	1 site
194	Feb 19	1 site
48	Feb 20	1 site
36	Feb 21	1 site
192	Feb 22	1 site
192	Feb 23	1 site
159	Feb 24	1 site
173	Feb 25	1 site
198	Feb 26	1 site
114	Feb 27	1 site
65	Feb 28	1 site
9,477	Feb 29	51 sites
6,081	Mar 1	51 sites
6,616	Mar 2	51 sites
5,226	Mar 3	51 sites
7,040	Mar 4	51 sites
9,910	Mar 5	51 sites
1,413	Mar 6	14 sites

Unofficial Cumulative: Feb. 17 through 6:30 p.m., March 6, 2016
Ward ......Early Voting Ballots

1	869
2	783
3	1,355
4	1,377
5	1,097
6	1,093
7	1,191
8	1,239
9	1,180
10	841
11	1,341
12	575
13	2,476
14	499
15	274
16	495
17	866
18	1,307
19	2,027
20	636
21	1,207
22	337
23	1,072
24	478
25	598
26	549
27	694
28	634
29	922
30	453
31	410
32	779
33	705
34	1,488
35	425
36	494
37	736
38	979
39	1,078
40	969
41	1,671
42	996
43	1,066
44	1,016
45	993
46	907
47	1,331
48	1,286
49	967
50	757
	47,518

A challenger for the 15th Ward Democratic Committeeman spot is kept his election hopes alive Friday evening with an order for an emergency Illinois Appellate Court hearing, despite a ruling by the Chicago Board of Elections and a judgement from the Cook County Circuit Court to remove him from the ballot. Jesus “Jesse” Iniguez, Committeeman challenger to incumbent and 15th Ward Alderman Raymond Lopez, has been fighting a challenge to signatures on his ballot petition for close to three months. The players in the ballot case are all linked to a complicated, messy campaign for Democratic Committeeman in the 12th Ward, where Lopez is managing the challenger’s campaign.

A bill calling for an elected Chicago Board of Education advances out of the Illinois House, but CPS Chief Executive Officer Forrest Claypool argues it's not the answer to the district's financial problems. The Chicago Teacher's Union announces a "day of action" April 1, but President Karen Lewis stops short of calling for an outright strike. Proponents of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's tobacco reforms drum up support by focusing on the benefits it would bring to the city's African American communities. Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle defends close to $300k in donations to former Chief of Staff Kim Foxx, who's in a heated–and very political–race for state’s attorney against incumbent Anita Alvarez.

A freshman North Side Alderman who says his office has been inundated with complaints about jet noise around O’Hare Airport since he got elected has a plan to put the City Council in charge of approving all construction projects at the international airport, including those planned as part of the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP).

Ald. Anthony Napolitano, whose 41st Ward includes O’Hare, introduced an ordinance in January that would prevent Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans from completing or starting any new construction projects at O’Hare until the City Council has a chance to look over and vote on the plans. Specifically, Commissioner Evans wouldn’t have the authority to “manage and control all matters and things pertaining to the construction, reconfiguration, decommissioning, and destruction of runways and taxiways,” without first obtaining approval from the City Council’s Aviation Committee through a public hearing on the matter.

For Ald. Napolitano, the ordinance is about transparency and giving residents an ability to object to any new projects that would lead to more jet noise in their neighborhoods.

“We need to have the ability to talk about what’s going on,” Ald. Napolitano told Aldertrack, giving the example of the 10-year-long rollout of the $1.3 billion O’Hare Modernization Program. “No one has talked about how it has impacted the quality of life with the plane volume.”

The city has a commission that handles issues of jet noise at O’Hare Airport. The O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) holds regular meetings and works with the city to address issues of jet noise, but they can only make recommendations.

Napolitano has publicly asked but been rebuffed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to be named to the Commission to replace Catherine Dunlap, the 41st Ward’s ONCC Designee. She was appointed during former 41st Ward Ald. Mary O’Connor’s term in office.

It’s not Napolitano's first perceived slight from the Mayor. Napolitano has accused the Emanuel of political retribution, saying the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals went against his wishes by approving a medical marijuana dispensary in his ward. Napolitano alluded to DNAInfo the Mayor was getting back at him for voting “no” on the 2016 budget.

Ald. Napolitano says that if Council approval is required for routine traffic signs, it should also be required for runways at O’Hare Airport. “I’m going to go to a [Council] committee to talk about a stop sign, but I can’t talk about a runway. That’s ludicrous.”

In a private briefing on the ordinance Wednesday with various members of the Aviation Committee, the Department of Aviation, and the Mayor’s Office, Ald. Napolitano was told to “make [the ordinance] go away,” he tells Aldertrack. “They said it’s in direct conflict of what they want to do.”

“This ordinance is a step in the wrong direction for the city of Chicago and the residents who live near O’Hare International Airport,” Commissioner Evans responded in a written statement to Aldertrack. “Specifically, the ordinance would result in severe economic implications for the city, stunt O’Hare’s growth as a world-class airport, and jeopardize the important progress the city is making in providing noise relief for residents.”

A halt of construction would mean an end to a big employment initiative from the Mayor. The Emanuel Administration has estimated over the next few years, the OMP “will create more than 5,000 construction and professional services jobs... and an opportunity to turn hundreds of entry-level jobs into opportunities for our underserved communities.”

Other caveats from CDA: it would jeopardize “hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding that the City has already received for O’Hare; violate state law and various intergovernmental agreements with surrounding suburbs; and mandate that CDA operate its airports contrary to FAA safety standards and regulations.   

The morning before the briefing, Ald. Napolitano’s office sent out an email blast to constituents with the subject line: “O’Hare Noise - WE NEED YOUR HELP.”

In the email and to his roughly 3,900 Facebook followers, Ald. Napolitano encouraged residents to email all 18 members of the Council’s Aviation Committee and demand a hearing on the ordinance. A handful of ward offices we spoke to yesterday confirmed that they received a noticeable number of emails.  

Asked if the campaign was an effort to force Aviation Committee Chair Mike Zalewski’shand, Ald. Napolitano said no. He wanted to show his colleagues how big of an issue this is in his neighborhood. “The thing is, that I have received hundreds of thousands of complaints, others don’t realize the flight volume and how bad it is.”

Ald. Napolitano says his ward office gets at least 69,000 complaints a month, and that it was one of the biggest issues in the 2015 aldermanic election. “I have people calling my office in frustration, kids aren’t sleeping, houses rattling, these are people that never had planes flying over their house [a few years ago].”

Following the briefing, Ald. Napolitano sent a follow up email to his colleagues on the Aviation Committee to clear up issues brought up, specifically as it relates to the new 9C/27C runway planned as part of the OMP. The opening of that runway, according to Commissioner Evans’ 2016 budget testimony last fall, will “mark the completion of all O’Hare modernization projects on the south airfield.”

But Ald. Napolitano’s ordinance puts a big dent in that plan. It calls for the immediate reopening of a diagonal runway the Department of Aviation closed last year to make way for the construction of that new runway.

“The Commissioner continues to state that the FAA will not allow 14L/32R [the diagonal runway] to reopen although it was open and being used just seven months ago,” Ald. Napolitano explained in an email sent to aldermen on the Aviation Committee yesterday. “If this Ordinance is passed, The Department of Aviation would be required to notify the FAA of their intent to open diagonal runway 14L/32R. The FAA has complete authority to reject this request if the runway poses any threat to the safety of airline passengers.”

That means if the ordinance passes, construction on the new 9C/27C runway would have to stop until Commissioner Evans briefs and receives approval from the Council’s Aviation Committee.

There won’t be any Council action this month on two competing plans to regulate room-sharing businesses like Airbnb in Chicago. The Council’s License Committee released its agenda for next week’s meeting, noting both plans will be immediately referred to a joint License and Housing committee meeting. The time and date of that meeting is still unknown, a legislative aide for the License Committee told Aldertrack.

In January, Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced an ordinance  on behalf of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection that would regulate the industry and bring in an estimated $1 million in revenue.

The money would come from a 2% surcharge on the booking of any shared-housing unit, bed-and-breakfast or vacation rental. Hosts and house-sharing companies would be required to register their units with the city. Units that are rented out more than 90 nights a year would be required to register as a licensed bed-and-breakfast or vacation rental. Liability insurance would be required for all rental units. Airbnb, VRBO, and other companies that facilitate transactions between hosts and renters would have to receive a new “short-term residential intermediary license.”

“This new license will require the companies to provide the city with the information and data it needs to effectively monitor and regulate this new license type and compliance with city ordinance,” according to the Mayor’s Office. Revenue generated from the proposal would be used toward initiatives to “promote affordable housing, with a focus on reducing homelessness among families with children.” North Side Aldermen Ameya Pawar (47) and Joe Moore (49), who also chairs the Council’s Housing Committee, are co-sponsors.

The following month, Aldermen Anthony Napolitano (41), Pat O’Connor (40) and Marge Laurino (39) co-sponsored a similar ordinance, but aimed at restricting rentals in single family homes. Their plan includes the 2% surcharge on roomshare stays that would go toward affordable housing initiatives the Mayor’s ordinance has, in addition to proposing a ban on renting out apartments in multiple transactions for overlapping periods, or renting less than the whole space during a single transaction.

The Cook County Assessor’s office decided to weigh in on the fight between incumbent 12th Ward Democratic Committeeman Tony Muñoz and challenger George Cardenas. Yesterday we reported a flyer Muñoz’s campaign has been passing out promoting a property tax rebate seminar by the Assessor’s office at the same location and time as early voting, the McKinley Park Field House. It’s not a surprise that Cardenas’ campaign isn’t too happy about the arrangement.

State Sen. Munoz, “is guilty of [voter fraud] for handing out tax rebates at the polling place,” Cardenas campaign manager and 15th Ward Ald. Raymond Lopez told Aldertrack Tuesday.

Following our report, Cook County Assessor spokesman Tom Shaer contacted Aldertrack to ensure their office was not involved in any shenanigans.

“Senator Muñoz went through my department by phone weeks ago (approximately February 12th) and requested we answer the many questions his constituents have re: property taxes,” said Shaer in an email.

“It was my personal decision to use McKinley Field House,” Shaer added. “However, we require input from officials. My coordinator definitely talked to Senator Muñoz’s office about what location would work, and I usually go with whatever facility we’ve used in the past.” Shaer said they’ve held multiple events at McKinley in the past, and he was totally unaware of when early voting began when the event was scheduled.

Also: Recognize the name Tom Shaer? He’s the Channel 5 sportscaster you remember from the 1990’s. He left NBC5 in 1999 and broadcasting in 2009.

The Emanuel Administration is borrowing $220 million to prove the city has the money to pay the rest of its statutorily required FY2015 payment to Police and Fire pension funds, due by the end of this year.

The move, detailed in a letter Chief Financial Officer Carole Brown sent to aldermen this week, is in response to a lack of action in Springfield on the Mayor’s pension fund reform bill, SB 777, which would have decreased the annual payments the city is required to make to its police and fire pension funds.

Under current state law, the city’s Police and Fire pension plans must achieve a 90% funded ratio by the end of 2040. The Police Fund is only 26% funded with a $11.73 billion unfunded pension liability, and the Firemen’s Fund is only 23% funded with a $4.513 billion unfunded liability. The Mayor’s proposed legislation in Springfield would reduce payments through 2020 and push the 90% funding requirement to 2055.

But when the City Council approved the 2016 budget last year, it based its payment schedule on that reform bill, not current state law. The city only budgeted $619M for the FY2015 Police and Fire pension payment, but, under current law, is required to pay $839M, a difference of $220M.

Because SB 777 has yet to be signed by the Governor, state law requires the city deposit the difference with the city Treasurer to demonstrate it can make the full payment, Brown explained to aldermen.“To meet this requirement, the City is utilizing a short-term funding bridge. This short-term funding bridge will be terminated by the City when Governor Rauner signs SB 777.”

That “short-term funding bridge,” is a short-term line of credit, similar to the money the city uses for cashflow purposes to supplement the cost of city services until property tax receipts are dispersed, the city’s budget office told Aldertrack.

The money will be placed into an “agency fund” controlled by Treasurer Kurt Summers. He, in turn, will invest the funds, and use the earned income to offset the cost of borrowing the money, the city’s budget office said.

If SB 777 passes, the city would return the money to the bank and pay a nominal interest rate. But if SB 777 fails, the city would have to give that money to the pension funds and pay back the entire cost of borrowing the money.

City officials remain confident that SB 777 will pass. For them it’s a matter of when, not if. But Gov. Bruce Rauner has said that he’d only agree to it if it’s part of a larger structural reform package that includes aspects of his Turnaround Agenda.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle used her post-Board of Commissioners press conference Wednesday to again blast Gov. Bruce Rauner for a stalled budget and announced she’s asked departments to institute holdbacks for personnel and spending. She says some of the state’s Medicaid payments to the County’s hospitals are lagging by $100 million.

“Bureaus, departments and elected officials must trim their spending on personnel by an additional half a percent, and non-personnel items by three percent,” Preckwinkle told reporters. “These measures will not fully plug the gap created for us by Springfield. It will not pay for the expenses we incur every day enforcing child support for tens of thousands of Cook County minors. We continue to assess our options on that issue, including all possible legal remedies.”

The cutbacks would run from March 15 through November 30, the end of the fiscal year.

The Cook County Board last month passed a resolution from Comm. Larry Suffredin asking the State’s Attorney to look into ways the County could recoup that money. The resolution calls for the SA’s office to “review and research all existing court orders and consent decrees related to the 2016 Proposed State of Illinois Budget to determine if either they cover payments to Cook County or could be amended to cover payments to Cook County. Further, the Cook County State’s Attorney should research any new cause of action that would cause a Federal or State Court to order payment owed to Cook County.”

Preckwinkle says the state is more than $100M behind on some Medicaid payments owed to the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS). “As a result of the failure of the state to pay its bills timely, [CCHHS is] running monthly deficits, and we’re going to have to take corrective action,” Preckwinkle said.

At a regular briefing during the Board of Commissioners meeting, CCHHS Chief Financial Officer Doug Elwell said the system was operating within “a fair amount of red ink as we continue to work through issues,” with enrollment in Cook County’s managed care Medicaid program, CountyCare. But Elwell anticipated the system would recover by the end of the fiscal year, as it had in 2014 and 2015. He said he’s getting advice from County CFO Ivan Samstein, and that the system is in negotiations with the state. “The state owes us $138 million,” Elwell said, though he characterized $68 million as a “normal lag.”

“We are now holding $31 million of their money and trying to negotiate with them to expedite the rest of the payments.”

Commissioners worried the delayed payments might impact CCHHS’ plans for new capital projects (including replacement of the outdated Fantus Clinic and CCHHS administrative offices), especially in light of lower-than-planned revenues from CountyCare and recent announcements of some possible competition: expansions at Rush University and the University of Chicago.

Elwell said the system is in talks with both Rush and U of C to ensure services wouldn’t be duplicative, and he’s confident issues with CountyCare will be worked out. “We just need to get our physicians to more often refer inside our system.” When asked, Preckwinkle didn’t express concern about CountyCare numbers at yesterday’s press conference.

Comm. Bridget Gainer asked that CCHHS brief the Finance Committee on enrollment in CountyCare and reimbursements to the system. “Those are troubling things. I want to make sure that before we make this enormous capital investment that we understand how people are using our system,” she said. Finance Chair John Daley agreed, and said he’d like an update on the impact of projects from Rush and U. of C.     

Other Items from the Cook County Board of Commissioners

Held:

• Litigation is still pending on Otero v. Thomas Dart, et al. The Litigation Subcommittee took up discussion of the case, which was slated to go to trial later this month. The two sides are instead pursuing a settlement. In 2011, Brian Otero was being held on Cook County Jail on a burglary charge, but was acquitted. Instead of going home, he was sent back to jail, told to put back on his uniform, and moved cell to cell for processing. He says when others found out he’d be going home, he was beaten, suffering torn ligaments in his hands and bruises on his face. Otero was released nine hours after his acquittal and is now lead in a class action lawsuit against the county for their post-acquittal detention policy. Commissioners requested monthly updates from the State’s Attorney’s office on the status of the settlement. A settlement on a similar issue in Los Angeles more than a decade ago cost taxpayers there $27 million, NBC Chicago reports.

Approved:

• A resolution from Comm. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia urging Mondelez, the parent company of Nabisco, to continue its relationship with the South Side of Chicago, passed the board Wednesday. Garcia says 600 manufacturing jobs at the facility are “up in the air,” and the resolution “is simply imploring Mondelez and Nabisco to sit and continue to dialogue with affected workers, many of them residents of Chicago’s South and Southwest sides and suburban communities.” Comm. Richard Boykin, citing tax incentives Nabisco has received “reaching upwards of ninety million dollars” as well as an extended enterprise zone and $29 million in tax breaks over ten years, called for tougher legislation, or possibly penalties, for companies that leave the county after receiving tax breaks.

• Commissioners voted for a resolution calling for the U.S. Congress to pass the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act, which “would help disabled and older Americans live at home” by offering more resources and options to the estimated 40 million unpaid family caregivers in the country.

• A nearly $700,000 contract to Catalyst Consulting Group to make further improvements to applications on County Clerk David Orr’s website also passed the full Board of Commissioners. Catalyst has run the Clerk’s website since 2009, and developed 20 applications, according to the contract.

• An amendment to the County Code allowing licensed firearm instructors with current registration from the state to use replica guns for education, instruction, and training on firearm safety within a business or classroom setting also passed the full Board. Comm. Gregg Goslin introduced a substitute that corrected County Code language in committee Wednesday morning. “A couple items were left off,” Goslin said, the replica gun used as cell phone holder ordinance and a section on toy guns commissioners already approved last October. A similar ordinance in Chicago City Council was passed the month prior.

Introduced:

• An ordinance from Comm. Larry Suffredin that would create inspectors general for all municipalities and specialty districts, including Cemetery Associations; Drainage, Mosquito Abatement, River Conservancy, Sanitary, and Street Lighting Districts; and Water Commissions, was referred to committee yesterday. Comm. Jeffrey Tobolski requested the State’s Attorney verify whether the program is constitutional or enforceable, “before we spend taxpayer money.”

• Suffredin also introduced a pharmaceutical disposal ordinance aimed at protecting the County’s waterways from “improperly disposed of prescription drugs passing through [the County’s] wastewater and treatment centers.” The ordinance cites Alameda County’s Safe Drug ordinance, which was passed and amended in 2012. The ordinance would establish a stewardship plan for the collection, transportation and disposal of covered pharmaceutical drugs. The program would be managed by the Cook County Sheriff’s Department. It was referred to the Legislation and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.

• The so-called ‘tampon tax’ has made its way to the Cook County Board, after also being introduced at the City Council. Commissioners Richard Boykin and Deborah Sims introduced an ordinance that would exempt feminine hygiene products from the Cook County Retailers’ Occupation Tax. “Feminine products, like many medicines, are a necessity and not a luxury. Given this fact, these products should not be over taxed,” Commissioner Sims said in a release. Feminine products are currently taxed at the rate of any common product in Chicago: 10.25 percent. The proposal has been referred to the Finance Committee.

The Chicago Board of Elections reports the following:

UNOFFICIAL Early Voting - Day by Day - Citywide data thru 6 pm, March 2, 2016

190	Feb 17	1 site
194	Feb 18	1 site
194	Feb 19	1 site
48	Feb 20	1 site
36	Feb 21	1 site
192	Feb 22	1 site
192	Feb 23	1 site
159	Feb 24	1 site
173	Feb 25	1 site
198	Feb 26	1 site
114	Feb 27	1 site
65	Feb 28	1 site
9,330	Feb 29	51 sites
6,018	Mar 1	51 sites
6,603	Mar 2	51 sites
	Mar 3	51 sites
	Mar 4	51 sites
	Mar 5	51 sites
	Mar 6	14 sites
	Mar 7	51 sites
	Mar 8	51 sites
	Mar 9	51 sites
	Mar 10	51 sites
	Mar 11	51 sites
	Mar 12	51 sites
	Mar 13	14 sites
	Mar 14	14 sites
23,706	Unofficial Total

UNOFFICIAL Cumulative: Feb. 17, 2016 thru 6:00 pm, March 2, 2016
Ward ......Early Voting Ballots

1	384
2	418
3	732
4	696
5	570
6	544
7	701
8	652
9	695
10	438
11	640
12	247
13	1,532
14	232
15	138
16	267
17	476
18	680
19	1,047
20	325
21	641
22	171
23	588
24	250
25	275
26	235
27	380
28	315
29	489
30	192
31	188
32	320
33	316
34	853
35	185
36	228
37	408
38	472
39	477
40	409
41	767
42	471
43	535
44	444
45	451
46	379
47	506
48	557
49	397
50	393
	23,706