Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks during a news conference last week. [City of Chicago livestream]

Among the dozens of measures proposed during last week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced an ordinance creating a working group to study a program that would send mental health professionals to calls of people in crisis instead of police. 

A podium with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County seal pictured in July 2023. [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line]

The Board of Commissioners for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County will gather at the Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington Tuesday and hold a slew of committee meetings followed by their regular board meeting.

During the regular board meeting, commissioners are expected to introduce an ordinance that amends the district’s existing ban on using public funds to buy single-use water bottles in most cases. The regular board meeting will begin no earlier than 10 a.m. and after committee meetings have concluded. The committee meetings will begin at 9:30 a.m. and continue in succession. 

The City Council met at City Hall on Thursday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council on Thursday approved a measure allowing Chicago to accept $33 million in federal grants to help the city pay for shelter and services for migrants, and a separate measure granting the city permission to purchase property on the Northwest Side that could house up to 550 migrants. 

The federal grant funding ordinance spurred a brief discussion as some alderpeople raised concerns that the city has not received federal grants for other urgent issues facing Chicago including flood damage from July storms. 

Ald. Debra Silverstein (50) introduces a measure that updates the city's hate crimes ordinance during a news conference Sept. 14, 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Ald. Debra Silverstein (50) was joined by numerous other alderpersons and human rights organizations Thursday morning to present a measure that updates the city’s anti-hate crimes ordinance for the first time in more than 30 years. 

Among the changes in the so-called Chicago vs. Hate Ordinance (O2023-0003932) the most notable are the addition of a new, more inclusive term that accounts for non-criminal hate incidents, new tracking mechanisms for hate crimes, non-criminal incidents, graffiti and vandalism and expanded requirements for city officials to keep and share reports on instances of hate.

Ald. Desmon Yancy (5) speaks during a news conference before his introduction of an ordinance to codify a community benefits agreement for South Shore residents affected by the Obama Presidential Center. [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line]

A coalition pushing for the creation of a community benefits agreement (CBA) to mitigate and prevent displacement for South Shore residents affected by the construction of the Obama Presidential Center rallied outside City Hall Thursday morning ahead of the regular City Council meeting, during which an ordinance that would enact their demands was introduced.

Ald. Desmon Yancy (5), who introduced the ordinance, said during the news conference his family has lived in South Shore on and off since the 1970s and “I was really honored to be able to stand here in support of an ordinance that helps preserve housing for people in South Shore.” 

During its first meeting back from the summer break and as the city is about to enter the throes of budget season, the City Council on Thursday will vote on whether to approve a $25 million payment to settle a lawsuit brought by two men who were wrongfully convicted of murder in 1993 and were later issued certificates of innocence after one man spent 22 years in prison and the other spent 12 years in prison. 

The City Council during its 10 a.m. meeting is also set to vote on a measure that would allocate $33 million in federal grants to fund a portion of the city’s cost to provide shelter and services for migrants.

The flag of Cook County flies over the county building in downtown Chicago. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The Cook County Board of Ethics and Commission on Social Innovation will both hold meetings Thursday. The ethics board will discuss a case report in executive session and the social innovation commission will hear from a guest speaker.

Additionally, the Board of Directors of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System will hold meetings of its Finance Committee and its Quality and Patient Safety Committee.

Mayor Brandon Johnson during a City Council meeting. [Don Vincent]

Chicago is facing a $538 million budget shortfall heading into 2024, and Mayor Brandon Johnson is holding onto his promise that he won’t raise property taxes to fill the hole.  

The forecasted budget gap came as part of Johnson’s first-ever budget forecast released Wednesday. 

Members of the zoning committee met Tuesday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

Members of the City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards gave an initial OK to more than 2,200 new residential units spread among various developments across the city during their meeting Tuesday, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), who chairs the committee, said at the close of the meeting. 

Cook County Comm. Bridget Gainer (D-10) is pictured during a county board meeting in March. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

A measure that would exclude solar energy systems from property tax assessments was held in the Cook County Business and Economic Development Committee during a Tuesday meeting, with action not expected on the measure until next month.

Additionally, the county’s Technology and Innovation Committee approved an intergovernmental agreement and contract amendment. 

The City Council later this week will vote on an ordinance allocating $33 million in federal grants for migrant services. A key City Council committee on Tuesday approved a property tax incentive for a data center coming to the Illinois Medical District.

The City Council Committee on Finance met on Monday. [City of Chicago livestream]

A key City Council committee on Monday approved a $25 million payment to settle a lawsuit brought against the city by two men who were wrongfully convicted of murder in 1993 and were later issued certificates of innocence after one man spent 22 years in prison and the other man spent 12 years in prison.  

A rendering of the development proposed for 1633 N. Halsted St. [City of Chicago presentation] 

The City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on Tuesday will meet for the first time since June to consider dozens of proposed developments including a nine-story,  mixed-use building in Lincoln Park near the Steppenwolf Theatre.

Cook County Comm. Bridget Gainer (D-10) is pictured during a meeting in March 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

During a meeting of the Cook County Business and Economic Development Committee Tuesday, county commissioners will consider an ordinance that would exclude solar energy systems from non-residential property tax assessments. 

The measure would help incentivize developers and property owners to install solar energy systems on buildings — helping the county increase green energy use — by eliminating the fear it will affect their property tax bills.

The county’s technology, tax delinquency and human relations committees will also hold meetings on Tuesday. 

As the city approaches budget season, alderpersons on Tuesday will hear how departmental budget hearings will play out this year. And the economic development committee will vote on agenda items that were delayed last week.