Chief Procurement Officer Aileen Velazquez and Ald. Jason Ervin (28) speaking during a budget committee meeting on Wednesday.

Aldermen on Wednesday vehemently shot down a proposal from the city’s procurement department that would allow the chief procurement officer to make emergency payments of up to $1 million without City Council approval. The measure would double the current threshold requiring council approval, which is set at $500,000, specifically to allow officials to replenish a low supply of water treatment chemicals, they said. 

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) urged his colleagues on Wednesday to support a tax break for the lab building at 2017 N. Mendell St. over the objections of city planning officials. [Baker Development Corporation]

A City Council committee abruptly gaveled out Thursday before reaching a resolution on a tax incentive proposal that pitted a local alderman against city planning officials in the latest sign of strain between the council and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration.

Chicago’s top doctor is set to brief aldermen Thursday on the twin threat of a mounting winter surge in COVID-19 cases and the worrying new Omicron variant. And a popular outdoor dining program is set to remain on the books for at least one more year. A proposal related to towing storage lots was held in committee on Wednesday. 

Ald. George Cardenas (12) [left] and Ald. David Moore (17) objected on Tuesday to an ordinance that would legalize sports betting at Chicago stadiums and ballparks.

A long-brewing effort to allow fans to place bets at Chicago stadiums hit yet another rough patch on Tuesday, as a critical mass of aldermen said they were skeptical that the move would balance out to a net benefit for the city and its taxpayers.

From left: Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Ald. Harry Osterman (48) and Woodstock Institute president Horacio Mendez during a committee hearing on Tuesday.

A flurry of recent city action has so far done nothing to break up discriminatory lending practices among banks where the city parks its investments, officials said. But it did produce troves of fresh data city leaders can use as a yardstick to hold banks to higher standards.

Aldermen who support the City Council’s rules committee map hold a press conference on the ward remap Tuesday. 

As Chicagoans piled critiques on ward map proposals during a Tuesday public hearing, including by suggesting the city push for a referendum, the alderman overseeing the ward remap cautioned that sending the remap decision to voters would only add to a “difficult election cycle.” 

The proposed Michigan Avenue SSA would trace the Magnificent Mile from Oak Street to the Chicago River.

A failed 2020 proposal to prop up Chicago’s flagship retail district is set to be resurrected on Wednesday after winning over the local aldermen who effectively killed it last year.

Lincoln Towing's impoundment lot in Uptown. A City Council committee is set on Wednesday to consider an ordinance related to towing storage lots. [The Daily Line/Alex Nitkin]

The City Council Committee on License and Consumer Protection is scheduled on Wednesday to consider a mayoral proposal related to towing lots, and members of the council’s budget committee are set to hear an update on this year’s spending to date. 

Megan Mathias, candidate for 45th Ward alderman, speaks to constituents as a few dozen residents gathered outside Ald. Jim Gardiner's (45) office Sept. 13, 2021, demanding that he resign amid recent scandals.

The proposed ward map unveiled last week by a City Council committee would draw out the only declared challenger to embattled Ald. Jim Gardiner (45).

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced up to $241 million in new subsidies for two dozen affordable housing proposals on Monday. [Alex Nitkin/The Daily Line]

Chicago will bankroll two dozen affordable housing developments this year spanning more than 2,000 new units, more than doubling its typical funding allotment — thanks in part to the new gush of new federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

A rendering shows the Cubs' plans for a two-story addition to the southeast corner of Wrigley Field that would house a sportsbook. [Cubs via Block Club Chicago]

An ordinance to legalize sports betting at five major Chicago venues is on track to advance out of a City Council committee on Tuesday after city officials added a last-minute provision designed to squeeze more money out of the city’s pro teams.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi is set to go before aldermen to answer questions on commercial property tax assessments. 

City officials are set Tuesday to update aldermen on the lending patterns of banks that hold city investments, and Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi will be in the hot seat as aldermen ask about commercial property tax assessments. 

A public hearing on the city’s ward remap process is set for 3 p.m. Tuesday. 

The City Council Committee on Committees and Rules is set to convene at 3 p.m. Tuesday for a public hearing on the ongoing ward remap.

Burt Odelson [top right] speaks during a Press Box even on Friday. 

An attorney representing the City Council Latino Caucus is prepared to challenge the constitutionality of the proposed ward map unveiled last week by a key City Council committee, he said Friday.

The City Council Rules Committee released an online interactive version of its draft map on Thursday.

Chicago would get its first-ever majority-Asian American ward under a new draft map released on Wednesday. The future site of the Lincoln Yards mega-development would switch back to its previous alderman. And at least three ward boundaries would conveniently swerve around the homes of sitting aldermen’s political opponents.