Mayor Brandon Johnson holds a media availability on the Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund contribution from CPS on March 18, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The city’s finance team is recommending that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) engage in short-term borrowing to cover its required contribution to the Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund (MEABF), the pension fund that mostly includes CPS non-teacher employees.

Mayor Brandon Johnson and the leaders of his finance and budget offices participated in a press conference Tuesday to lay out the case for how the school district should come up with the funds to cover the payment and other labor-related costs facing CPS.

Health and Human Relations Committee Chair Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) is pictured at a City Council meeting on Feb. 26, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Health and Human Relations on Wednesday will consider appointments to the Chicago Board of Health and a measure to prohibit discrimination based on someone’s actual or perceived association with a person from a protected class.

The health and human relations committee, which will meet at 10:30 a.m. in council chambers, will also hold subject matter hearings on hate and discrimination in Chicago and on the federal detention of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. 

Exterior renderings for the mixed-use development Sterling Bay plans to build at 350 N. Morgan St. are shown. [Chicago Department of Planning and Development presentation]

The Chicago Plan Commission on Thursday will consider rezonings and planned development amendments to accommodate mixed-use developments in the Loop, Fulton Market and Edgewater. The commission will also hear presentations from the city’s planning department on the draft plans for revitalization and economic development along three major commercial corridors.

The plan commission meets at 10 a.m. in council chambers.

Ethics Committee Chair Matt Martin (47) is pictured at a City Council meeting in June 2024. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight on Tuesday will meet to hear the city’s inspector general present the office’s report for the fourth quarter of 2024 and discuss an advisory the office released last month regarding Department of Water Management (DWM) work that failed to comply with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) regulations and a lack of public transparency about the issue.

The ethics committee will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 201A at City Hall. 

City Clerk Anna Valencia is pictured during a meeting in council chambers in April 2022. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

City Clerk Anna Valencia on Wednesday introduced a resolution (R2025-0016044) calling for the establishment of a Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight subcommittee tasked with analyzing the appointment process for the board members and executives of city sister agencies.

Mayor Brandon Johnson holds a post-City Council press conference on March 12, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The Mayor’s Office of Reentry announced two major actions aimed at addressing the financial insecurity experienced by residents returning to society after being released from incarceration. 

“We know that reducing recidivism rates is critical to building safer communities and disrupting the cycle of incarceration,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release Thursday. “These initiatives, led by our Office of Reentry, are part of our strategy to ensure that our returning residents have the resources that they need to overcome the enormous hurdles they face as they return to our neighborhoods.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson presides over a City Council meeting March 12, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council on Wednesday voted down a broad ban on the sale of new fur products within city limits while approving a new business affairs commissioner, settlements related to police pursuits and use-of-force and city assistance for a Native American-focused housing development.

Chicago Public Schools headquarters on Jan. 15, 2025. (Laura McDermott for Chalkbeat)

Chicago’s new school board is considering an amendment to the school district’s $9.9 billion budget that aims to address a short-term budget quagmire.

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 Rector Building, with its "Weather Bell" sign hanging at the corner, at 79 W. Monroe St. is planned to be adaptively refurbished into a mixed-use development. [Department of Planning and Development presentation]

The City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on Tuesday approved a landmark designation for one of the downtown office buildings planned to be converted into mixed-income housing through a city initiative but delayed approval of a large new apartment tower in Lincoln Park.

Renderings of the Jigzibik affordable housing development, designed by Canopy architecture and design. [Canopy architecture and design]

The City Council Committee on Finance on Monday approved numerous wrongful settlements stemming from police conduct, including vehicle pursuits and a case of excessive force during 2020 racial justice protests. Additionally, the committee approved financial assistance for the city’s first affordable housing development that will specifically cater to Indigenous Americans.

Appointments to the Cultural Affairs and Special Events Advisory Council appear before the Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation March 10, 2025, with DCASE Comm. Clinée Hedspeth on the far right. [Livestream]

The City Council Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation on Monday approved six appointments to the Cultural Affairs and Special Events Advisory Council, a 30-member volunteer body that advises the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) on ways to support, expand and promote arts and culture within the city.

The Rector Building, with its "Weather Bell" sign hanging at the corner, at 79 W. Monroe St. is planned to be adaptively refurbished into a mixed-use development. [Department of Planning and Development presentation]

The City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards will meet on Tuesday to consider a landmark designation for one of the downtown office buildings planned to be converted into mixed-income housing through a city initiative.

The zoning committee, which will meet at 10 a.m. in council chambers, will also consider a large residential development in Lincoln Park and other mixed-use developments.

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

The City Council Committee on Finance on Monday will consider several proposed legal settlements in alleged police misconduct and vehicle pursuit cases. The committee will also consider the approval of financial assistance to a housing project and a change to a workforce development program in tax increment financing (TIF) districts.

The finance committee will meet at 10 a.m. in council chambers.

Mayor Brandon Johnson testifies in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. [Livestream]

Mayor Brandon Johnson joined three other big city mayors on Wednesday to defend Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance at a congressional hearing on sanctuary cities and the effect they have on public safety and immigration enforcement. 

“Any actions that amplify fears of deportations make Chicago more dangerous,” Johnson said in opening remarks. “Those fears cause witnesses and victims to avoid cooperating with police.”