The county will expand a pilot program that replaces lead service lines for free to licensed childcare providers, and Bob Fioretti has announced he will run again for Cook County State’s Attorney. And a City Council committee will meet Monday to hold a hearing on Chicago’s Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program and vote on dozens of other measures.

The City Council voted 36-12 on Thursday to expand paid leave for Chicago workers, granting workers five sick days and five paid time off days per year.

Supporters of the expanded paid leave measure held a news conference last week. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

The City Council will meet for the second time this week on Thursday to vote on a proposal to expand paid leave for Chicago workers.

Cook County Comm. Kevin Morrison (D-15) attends a county board meeting in September. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Cook County commissioners will consider a multimillion-dollar information security contract and hold a hearing on the safety of transgender residents during committee meetings Thursday.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa during Tuesday's City Council meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) narrowly avoided being censured by his colleagues on Tuesday, just one day after he resigned from his position as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s floor leader and the chair of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards. 

The vote on whether to censure Ramirez-Rosa came during the same City Council meeting where Ald. Emma Mitts (37) publicly detailed how Ramirez-Rosa physically blocked her from coming into a special City Council meeting last week where alderpeople called for a vote on a proposal to ask voters if Chicago should remain a sanctuary city. Other members of the City Council, including Ald. Nicole Lee (11) and Ald. Felix Cardona (31), also said Ramirez-Rosa threatened to hold up zoning decisions in the wards if they attended last week’s special City Council meeting.

Ald. Maria Hadden (49) talked to Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22) during Tuesday's City Council Meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Alderpeople approved the Bring Chicago Home proposal to ask voters if they want to hike the real estate transfer tax and use the revenue to curb homelessness and delayed a vote on the proposal to expand paid leave for Chicago workers.

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas presents during a county budget hearing in October. [Livestream]

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office is laying the blame for higher property tax bills this year at the feet of school districts, which have been large beneficiaries of a recent provision in state law, among other factors. 

The median residential tax bill in the north and northwest suburbs increased 15.7 percent in Tax Year 2022, which represents the largest percentage increase in at least 30 years, an analysis by the treasurer’s office found. The office said the cause of the higher tax bills were increased levies and a shift of the tax burden from commercial to residential property owners as a result of reassessments in the northern suburbs last year. 

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) walks on council floor during a meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s floor leader and zoning committee chair Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) threatened to hold up zoning decisions in the wards of alderpeople who attended a meeting last week where alderpeople were supposed to vote on a proposal that would ask Chicago voters in the spring whether the city should remain a sanctuary city, alderpeople said on Monday. 

In a Monday statement announcing his resignation from his position as floor leader and zoning committee chair, Ramirez-Rosa apologized to Ald. Emma Mitts (37) “for the disrespectful interaction outside of Council Chambers.” Ramirez-Rosa also apologized to Ald. Nicole Lee (11), Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) and Ald. Felix Cardona (31), who he said he heard "felt disrespected and harmed by my actions.”

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

Nearly one year after former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her allies blocked a hearing on the proposal to ask voters if they want to raise the real estate transfer tax on the sale of properties over $1 million and use the new revenue to curb homelessness, the City Council will vote on the proposal during its meeting Tuesday. 

In addition to the so-called Bring Chicago Home resolution on Tuesday’s agenda, alderpeople are also scheduled to vote on an ordinance that was delayed last week that would allow the city to purchase a vacant Jewel store near the intersection of Halsted and 115th streets to use as shelter for migrants.

Members of the City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy hear from Peoples Gas President Torrence Hinton (bottom right) Monday. [Livestream]

Representatives from Peoples Gas Company and labor groups associated with the utility company defended a $402 million rate increase request as necessary for modernizing pipeline infrastructure to ensure the safety of the gas delivery system during a hearing before the City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy Monday. 

During the same subject matter hearing, watchdog groups argued that Peoples Gas was not responsibly managing its pipeline modernization program, criticizing the program for its cost estimates shifting from $2 billion to $11 billion while not demonstrating expected safety improvements. 

The budget committee met Monday. [City of Chicago livestream]

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed 2024 budget had virtually no trouble passing out of key City Council committees Monday, teeing up a final vote on the spending plan this month.

Chicago’s proposed budget is made up of several separate ordinances detailing how the city will bring in revenue via tools like fines and fees and how it will spend the money it has. Members of two City Council committees are set to take initial votes on the various budget ordinances Monday.

Ald. Bill Conway (34) speaks with Ald. Pat Dowell (3) during a City Council meeting in May 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy will meet Monday for a subject matter hearing on the effect a proposed rate hike from Peoples Gas Company would have on city residents.

The environment committee, which kicks off its meeting at 10 a.m. in Room 201A at City Hall, will also consider two ordinances. The first concerns the removal of the Carnotite Moratorium Area from city code, and the second ordinance would formalize a system for complaints about private hauling firms that handle recyclable materials or other waste that is not handled by the city.

Ald. Samantha Nugent (39) oversees the City Council meeting Thursday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

A special City Council meeting Thursday where alderpeople were scheduled to consider whether the city should ask voters if Chicago should remain a sanctuary city descended into chaos after the start of the meeting was delayed as proponents worked to ensure enough alderpeople were present to meet quorum.

Supporters of the expanded paid leave measure held a news conference Thursday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

The Workforce Development Committee on Thursday voted 13-2 to send a proposal to expand paid leave for Chicago workers to the City Council for a final vote next week.