A Cook County Chancery Court judge ordered an additional hearing for one count and promised rulings next month for five others regarding a preliminary injunction charging the City Council has repeatedly violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act (OMA). Plaintiffs Andy Thayer and Rick Garcia charge they and other protesters were kept from attending the May 18 and June 22 City Council meetings because city employees packed the Council gallery, preventing members of the public from getting in. Monday’s hearing was a follow up to one held in October.

A subject matter hearing on the city’s plan to designate new transit-oriented TIFs along the northern portion of the CTA’s Red and Purple Line, from the Belmont to Howard stops, is on tap for the Council’s Finance Committee today. It’s one of two subject matter hearings on city’s effort to create new transit-oriented TIFs, which the state approved this summer, to help the city secure a federal grant to fund phase one of the Red and Purple Line Modernization (RPM) Plan.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office released a progress report Monday afternoon on the city’s police reform efforts in the past year, the same day the Chicago Police Department closed out a public comment period on its newly proposed use of force guidelines.

The Chicago City Council and Cook County Board both approved their respective budgets for next year. Chicago’s $8.2 billion plan passed without a peep of dissent or debate, while Cook County’s $4.4 billion budget passage was a bit more… dramatic. We’ve got the highlights from both in this week’s episode.

A group of O’Hare Airport workers voted to walk out on the job sometime during the holiday season, says a spokesman from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1. The workers, which are employed by five companies contracted by airlines and the city, are not part of a collective bargaining unit, but are threatening a walkout as part of a drive for a $15-per-hour minimum wage and better working conditions.

A subject matter hearing on the use of money bonds in Cook County’s court system drew broad agreement that the practice unfairly targets the poor–but the hearing elicited few concrete or easy solutions. Commissioners listened to almost four hours of testimony from experts and advocates, as well as former Cook County Jail detainees that had not been allowed to leave the jail because they couldn’t afford bond.

The Chicago Plan Commission approved all items on their agenda Thursday with minimal public comment. The largest project approved is a new industrial retail complex Clarius Partners will undertake in the North Lawndale community on the city’s West Side. The smallest project is a gas station on the South Side.

It was a subdued and shorter day at the Cook County Board Wednesday, with little out of the ordinary. Commissioners approved changes to the handling of consent calendar items, and honored philanthropist and perennial candidate Dr. Willie Wilson. The board also approved $3.2 million in claims and court costs, including about $2 million in settlements for negligence, violation of first amendment rights, and wrongful death.

Without debate, and with minimal discussion, the City Council unanimously approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s $8.2 billion spending plan for next year. Three Progressive Caucus aldermen voted against the revenue ordinance, citing concerns over the new Community Catalyst Fund, a new financial board aimed at spurring private equity in blighted neighborhoods. Often referred to as a “fund of funds”, its overall purpose is to invest in funds that will in turn, invest their funds in businesses or organizations to stimulate job growth and support public infrastructure improvements, among other goals.  

A multi-building industrial and commercial complex developer Clarius Partners has planned for a 21 acre site in North Lawndale is on the agenda for the Chicago Plan Commission Thursday.

In a mere fifteen minutes, the Workforce Development Committee approved a collective bargaining agreement for the city’s non-emergency public safety personnel, although a third of the time was taken up by testimony from public hearing gadfly George Blakemore.

Fresh off a full day of budget hearings, the Cook County Board will meet for regular business again today. Most major items of note, including a public hearing on a rideshare surcharge, significant changes to the county’s property tax incentives, and amendments to the ethics code regarding elected officials who serve as attorneys, have been put on hold. But there are a few major financial settlements to be approved, and what appears to be the final changes to the way the county handles consent calendar items.

Tensions rose during the Tuesday, November 15, 2016 County Board 2017 budget debate when Comm. John Fritchey (D-12) shouted at Comm. Richard Boykin (D-1), demanding he retract accusations of racism. Boykin would not, and later he called Fritchey racist "from his head to his toes." (Credit: Mike Fourcher)

Correction: An earlier report said Comm. Sean Morrison (R-17) led the push against procurement changes affecting the Medical Examiner’s office. It was Comm. Jeff Tobolski (D-16). We apologize for the error.

Board President Toni Preckwinkle won approval of this year’s $4.4 billion operating budget and $475 million capital budget in a 11-4 vote yesterday, with all four Republican commissioners voting against. Two Democrats, Comm. Robert Steele (D-2) and Comm. Ed Moody (D-6) were absent. (Both were hospitalized this past week. Preckwinkle said Steele is recovering from surgery, but did not elaborate on Moody’s illness. He has been in office for just a few weeks. His twin brother, Fred Moody, was present yesterday.)  

Registered sex offenders would be barred from specially designated child and teen areas in city libraries under an ordinance the Council’s Public Safety Committee approved Tuesday.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed $8.33 billion 2017 budget ($9.81 billion counting grant funds) faces its final hurdle today with a vote by the full City Council. And it’s likely to be an easy one: no major fees or taxes are included in this budget, and unlike last year, there weren’t any last minute meetings to hash out contentious issues or amendments tacked on to the spending plan.