The Board of Commissioners for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County conducts a board meeting at the Brookfield Zoo on July 18, 2023. [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line]

The Board of Commissioners for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County appointed a new member of the Conservation and Policy Council and approved contracts for habitat enhancement and unpaved trail repairs during a meeting at the Brookfield Zoo Tuesday.

Cook County Comm. Kevin Morrison (D-15) during a county board meeting in March 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

During committee meetings Wednesday, Cook County commissioners will consider measures to amend the county’s human rights code to include updated language, allow county employees to use their sick days to address burnout and other mental health issues and consider changes to the process for selecting a county inspector general.

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

A key City Council committee on Monday approved what city officials have called the “last step” in legislation for Chicago’s 100-year deal to supply water to the city of Joliet. 

The City Council Committee on Budget and Government Operations will meet at 2 p.m. Tuesday to consider a range of proposed ordinances, most of which are set to be introduced directly into committee. 

Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22), chair of the Workforce Development committee, is pictured during a City Council meeting in March 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Workforce Development approved a resolution Monday supporting the union representing United Parcel Service (UPS) workers and a measure creating a subcommittee on youth employment.

The City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday to consider a wide range of development proposals throughout the city including a 1,500-seat church auditorium in the 27th Ward and a nine-story mixed-use development in the 2nd Ward. 

A jogger uses a paved trail in the Forest Preserves of Cook County. [File]

The Board of Commissioners for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County will hold its regular meeting Tuesday following multiple committee meetings that will include the appointment of a new member to the Conservation and Policy Council and contracts to restore unpaved trails and enhance the district’s habitats. 

The board will gather at the Brookfield Zoo for its Tuesday proceedings rather than its typical meeting place at the county building in downtown Chicago. Committee meetings kick off at 9 a.m., and the full board meeting will commence afterward but no earlier than 10 a.m. 

Members of the City Council Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety met Friday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

A working group including community advocates and city staff will likely take the next year to study details of launching a municipal sidewalk snowplow pilot program before reporting some of their findings back in the first half of 2024. 

Members of the City Council Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety on Friday approved an ordinance (O2023-2104) introduced by Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) that would create the working group and set parameters for its work on researching the proposed city-run sidewalk plowing program. The City Council will take a final vote on the proposal Wednesday. 

The City Council Committee on Finance will meet Monday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 
 

The City Council Committee on Finance will meet at 10 a.m. Monday to consider approving more than $7 million in payments to settle three lawsuits brought against the city related to police misconduct. 

Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22), chair of the Workforce Development committee, is pictured during a City Council meeting in March 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Workforce Development will consider a resolution Monday to support the union representing United Parcel Service (UPS) workers and a measure creating a subcommittee on youth employment.

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability met Thursday. [Livestream]

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) on Thursday named Shon Barnes, Angel Novalez and Larry Snelling as the three finalists to become the next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. 

Members of the commission unanimously approved the three names they sent to Mayor Brandon Johnson, who now has 30 days to select his pick to head the police department or request a new list all together.

The City Council Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight met Thursday. [City of Chicago livestream] 
 

The position of Chicago’s inspector general would be limited to two four-year terms if a proposal to change the position’s appointment process is approved by the City Council next week. 

The term limits would apply to current Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, who said the change would bring "stability, order, independence" to the office charged with investigating and conducting audits on most aspects of city government.

Concept art for the Encuentro Square affordable housing development in Logan Square. [Courtesy of Canopy / architecture + design]

The City Council Committee on Transportation and the Public Way again referred to a new committee a measure that would require the city transportation department to study fatal traffic crashes and approved a proposed subdivision request to accommodate a Logan Square affordable housing development.

Aldermen and advocates for a municipal sidewalk plow program held a news conference in March. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

Four months after alderpersons and advocates unveiled a proposal for a city-run pilot program to clear some of Chicago’s sidewalks of snow and ice, the ordinance (O2023-2104) will get an initial committee vote on Friday. 

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) first formally introduced the proposal for the city to “plow the sidewalks” earlier this year under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, but after seeing delays under the former administration, sponsors decided to delay a vote on the measure until Mayor Brandon Johnson took office. 

Related: Hearing on municipal sidewalk snow plow program delayed, sponsor says they’ll wait for new administration to call the ordinance again 

The mayor announced a special budget-related discussion to gather input from the city’s youth, and the City Council contracting committee will consider extending a pilot program that ensures veteran-owned small businesses have an equitable place in city contracting.