Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Comm. Ivan Capifali answers questions from Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) on Nov. 4, 2025. [Livestream]

Regulating hemp-derived products was once again the main topic of discussion at a City Council budget hearing Tuesday, as alderpeople hurled questions and raised concerns about the city’s plan to license and tax hemp products with Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) leadership.

Housing Comm. Lissette Castañeda speaks at a budget hearing on Nov. 4, 2025. [Livestream]

The head of the Chicago Department of Housing (DOH) on Tuesday told members of the budget committee that the city had made excellent strides to maintain and increase the number of affordable housing units citywide.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, second from right, and Chief of Staff Scott Smith, right, address the County Finance Committee for a budget hearing on Nov. 3, 2025. [Livestream]

The Cook County Assessor’s Office on Monday presented to the County Finance Committee on its proposed 2026 budget, fielding questions about tax bill delays, sticker shock, improvements in assessment accuracy and legislative reforms to provide relief.

Smokestacks are pictured in this file photo.

The City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards held a subject matter hearing Monday on the Hazel Johnson Cumulative Impacts Ordinance, which would set a framework for the city to reduce the impacts of pollution and other environmental hazards in neighborhoods located near manufacturing and heavy industry.

Ald. Anthony Quezada (35) questions DFSS Comm. Angela Green at a budget hearing on Oct. 30, 2025. [Livestream]

Alderpeople questioned the newly confirmed head of the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) on reductions in spending on gender-based violence and the impacts of the government shutdown during a budget hearing last week.

Smokestacks are pictured in this file photo.

The City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on Monday will consider the Hazel Johnson Cumulative Impacts Ordinance, which proposes a set of policies aimed at reducing the impacts of pollution and other negative environmental conditions detrimental to one’s health that are felt by communities located near land used for heavy industry and manufacturing — communities that are most often primarily Black and Latin American.

Thursday morning’s eight-hour long marathon of Cook County budget hearings started with County Treasurer Maria Pappas providing commissioners with an exhaustive timeline of errors in property tax bill files her department has found, including incorrect data, amounts billed, and duplicates. She said the errors had affected over a million parcels.

Chicago Public Health Comm. Olusimbo Ige is pictured during a press conference at City Hall in January 2024. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Alderpeople were left without key answers to questions about the mayor’s proposal to tax hemp products, which is one part of his solution to close a $1.2 billion budget gap, during the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) budget hearing Thursday. 

Department of Environment Comm. Angela Tovar speaks at a budget hearing on Oct. 29, 2025. [Livestream]

Alderpeople on the budget committee heard from the head of the Chicago Department of Environment (DOE) on Wednesday as its budget is proposed to skyrocket next year while it absorbs many functions it used to oversee before it was abolished in former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s 2012 budget.

Inspector General Deborah Witzburg speaks to City Club of Chicago on Aug. 26, 2025. [Livestream]

Alderpeople praised the work of the outgoing city inspector general and asked about the work that still needed to be done during a 2026 budget hearing Wednesday. 

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) budget is proposed to rise very slightly next year, from $14.22 million to about $14.3 million, with the office also set to lose three full-time positions that are funded by the Corporate Fund, bringing the position count from 121 to 118. 

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart takes questions from commissioners at his annual budget hearing

At his annual budget hearing Wednesday, Cook County  Sheriff Tom Dart told county commissioners the Department's latest initiative to provide his deputies aerial support with helicopters is producing strong results while warning the "wild card" is overtime costs due to local townships and villages struggling to properly fund their police departments.

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke fields questions from county commissioners as she outlines priorities for next year

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said during a 2026 budget hearing Wednesday her office will prioritize violent crime and domestic violence cases but warned county commissioners she doesn’t have the staffing levels and infrastructure needed to handle growing workloads in the coming year.

Cook County Health CEO Erik Mikaitis speaks at a budget hearing Oct. 28, 2025. [Livestream]

During a budget hearing Tuesday, Cook County commissioners questioned leaders of the health and hospital system about how it will continue to care for patients amid federal health cuts that will strain the system’s budget.

The Cook County Finance Committee meets for budget hearings on Oct. 27, 2025. [Livestream]

Cook County commissioners on Monday kicked off their 2026 budget hearings with an overview of the county government’s finances and threats of federal grant losses from the County Bureau of Finance and the Offices Under the President (OUP). 

Earlier this month, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle proposed a $10.01 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, a small 0.7 percent, or $71.8 million, increase over this year’s budget. The budget recommendation closes a $211.4 million gap that is somewhat evenly split between the General Fund and the Health Enterprise Fund and was closed through a combination of higher-than-expected revenue, one-time unassigned fund transfers and labor savings. 

A vehicle parked in a Chicago bike lane. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

The city’s proposed expansion of its Smart Streets pilot program is estimated to net the city millions of extra dollars next year by lengthening the geographic boundaries and increasing the number of infractions that are enforced.