The City Council’s Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development unanimously endorsed five property tax breaks with no debate. The tax breaks are:

• R2018-677 — The tax break would benefit RLS, LLC, which plans to build a 75,000-square-foot industrial cold storage warehouse at 2639-59 S. Damen Ave. in the 25th Ward. The break would save the firm $1.16 million over 12 years and allow it to add 20 new employees to its 45-person staff, officials said.


• R2018-680 — The tax break would benefit Brite Logistics, Inc., which plans to operate a transportation and warehousing logistics business in a formerly vacant building at 5000 S. Homan Ave. in the 11th Ward. The break would save the firm $1.3 million over 12 years and allow it to hire 15 new employees to its 100-person staff, Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11) said.


• R2018-682 — A renewal of a tax break benefitting Van Meter, Inc., a wholesale electrical supply distributor at 217 S. Western Ave. in the 27th Ward. The break would save the firm $422,500 over 12 years.


• O2018-5002 — The tax break would benefit TVB, LLC, which plans to renovate an abandoned building at 5214-32 S. Archer Ave. into a restaurant and banquet hall in the 14th Ward. The break would save the firm $94,000 over five years and allow it to add 10 full-time and part-time employees, officials said.


• O2018-4997 — The tax break would benefit Luigis Paisans Pizza Pulaski, Inc., which plans to build a new commercial building of approximately 7,253 square feet that will include a restaurant at 6535 S. Pulaski Road in the 13th Ward. The break would save the firm $782,000 over 12 years and allow them to hire 45 new full-time employees and 15 part-time.

In other action, the council’s Workforce Development Committee approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s reappointment (A2018-56) of Salvador A. Cicero as a member and chairman of the Chicago Human Resources Board. An attorney, Cicero was first appointed to the board by Emanuel in 2014.

 

The City Council Committee on Finance will consider adding $4.45 million to the city’s tab of police-related settlements at its meeting set to take place at 10 a.m. Monday — as well as legalizing pigeon racing.

The measure (O2018-4988) introduced by Aldermen Gilbert Villegas (36), Ariel Reboyras (30) and Nicholas Sposato (38) would legalize the sport beloved in Poland, but banned here in Chicago.

The move is opposed by bird rescue groups, whose leaders told Block Club Chicago they are concerned they’d be deluged with requests to help abandoned and abused birds.

The families of an 88-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man killed by a car fleeing Chicago Police during a 2015 pursuit through Greater Grand Crossing would get $3 million under a settlement set to be considered by the finance committee, as first reported by the Sun-Times.

Aldermen will also consider paying $950,000 the family of a man shot to death by an off-duty Chicago Police sergeant in 2013. The sergeant told investigators he thought the man was armed and burglarizing his home when he shot him. No weapon was recovered, officials said.

In addition, aldermen will consider settling a lawsuit filed by the daughter of a man who died while being held in the Jefferson Park Police District lock-up in 2015 for $500,000. The suit claimed officers ignored 41-year-old Johnny Lopez’ cries for help.

Aldermen will weigh whether to pay $4 million to the family of a Romeoville man who died after the motorcycle he was riding hit a pothole. The man was thrown to the ground, and killed by the vehicle behind him, according to the Tribune.

In all, the committee will consider paying out nearly $8.5 million in settlements.

The committee will also consider two affordable housing proposals from Mayor Rahm Emanuel:

• O2018-5090 — The Opportunity Investment Fund, which would set aside $30 million to provide low-cost financing to help people buy multi-family housing in gentrifying or high-cost areas in return for an agreement to set aside 20 percent of each complex’s units for low- and moderate-income residents for 15 years.


• O2018-5091 —  Another $30 million pilot program that would provide financial assistance for the purchase or refinance of multi-family residential buildings in exchange for an agreement to set aside the units for low- and moderate-income residents for 30 years.

Two redevelopment agreements are up for a vote, as well:

• O2018-5022 — An agreement with the Chicago Family Health Center to construct and operate school-based health center at Chicago Vocational Career Academy High School.


• O2018-5827 — An agreement with Montclare Calumet Heights LLC to build a controversial 134-unit senior housing complex in Ald. Michelle Harris’ 8th Ward.


• O2018-5051 — An agreement to restructure the city’s loan to the developer of the 50-unit St. Edmunds Corners affordable housing community.

Other items set to be considered:

• O2018-5052 — Authored by Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11), the measure would prohibit the use of plywood or wood-based material for securing vacant buildings and instead require that polycarbonate material be used. In 2016, Ald. Ed Burke (14) sponsored an ordinance changing the city’s Municipal Code to allow “the use of polycarbonate clear boarding to secure vacant residential buildings.” This type of transparent plastic is advertised as a way to board up homes as not to attract vandals or squatters, because the material makes it indiscernible that the home is closed off.


• A2018-63 — The mayor’s appointment of Ald. Jason Ervin (28) to the board of the Chicago Infrastructure Trust. He replaces Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) in the shuffle following O’Shea’s appointment to chair the Aviation Committee.

The City Council’s Committee on Housing and Real Estate will consider selling three vacant parcels as part of the next round of 3rd Ward Ald. Pat Dowell’s Parade of Homes.

To mark Equal Pay Day in April, Mayor Rahm Emanuel barred city departments from asking job applicants about their salary history.

“Equality in pay between men and women has been a problem in the United States for too long,” Emanuel said in April. “By signing this executive order, we are taking action to say that this practice has no place in our city and taking a significant step towards closing the gender pay gap.”

But data on active employees from the city’s four pension funds show Chicago has a long way to go to bridge that gap. Women that work in city government are paid on average $27,572 less than males, according to the 2017 annual reports filed by the pension funds that represent municipal, labor, police and fire employees.

Ald. Walter Burnett (27), one of a few aldermen on City Council who often presses developers to set aside more units for low- and moderate-income residents than they are required to by city ordinance, wants developers to set aside affordable commercial space as well.

Aldermen quickly approved a measure Thursday that would rename Congress Parkway for Civil Rights icon and investigative journalist Ida B. Wells.

Chicago is at “an historic crossroads” as it works to reform its Police Department and revamp how officers are held accountable for misconduct, the man picked by the city’s watchdog to oversee public safety told aldermen Thursday.

Two City Council committees are set to meet Friday, while Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s spokesman prepares to retire.

Aldermen unanimously approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s selection of Jamie Rhee to replace Ginger Evans as the head of the city’s Aviation Department.

A group of female elected officials launched an effort to significantly cut the number of women behind bars, while aldermen prepared to advance a plan to rename Congress Parkway for a Civil Rights icon and consider two high-profile appointees.

Union members, Chief Judge Timothy Evans and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s administration agreed to settle a lawsuit prompted by the county’s 2018 budget cuts and end a monthslong standoff.

Aldermen endorsed Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal (O2018-4988) to impose an additional 2 percent tax on short-term rental guests in Chicago to help fund housing for victims of domestic violence.

The former Harold L. Ickes Homes public housing development in the South Loop would be transformed into a new mixed-income neighborhood by a proposal set to be considered Thursday by the Chicago Plan Commission.

A two-year effort to ease Chicago's nearly quarter-century old ban on the sale of spray paint is on the agenda for the meeting of the City Council Committee on License and Consumer Protection set for 11 a.m. Wednesday.

A woman working as a janitor in Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office earned $74,194 when she was performing duties that should have paid at most $47,134 because she was misclassified as an analyst, according to the second quarter audit by the Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General.