Correction (July 27, 2017, 11:20 a.m.) – An earlier version of this story was corrected to reflect the correct local of SEIU seeking to represent airport workers. It's SEIU Local 1, not SEIU Local 73. 

The City Council advanced a major zoning overhaul that repeals the strict planned manufacturing designation of the North Branch Industrial Corridor, initiating a new chapter for the area that had been closed off to non-industrial development for the past 30 years. Wednesday’s meeting was also one for the history books, as it was the first time in City Council history that members of the public were allowed to speak following a year-long legal battle initiated by two Uptown activists.

This week, President Preckwinkle’s Office released the dollar amounts each county office has been requested to cut after a judge delayed a soda tax the county argues it needs to plug a widening budget gap.

The shot clock is prepped, the pink slips are stacked.

Today is the first official day of public comment at monthly City Council meetings. Members of the public can register for comment starting at 9:30 a.m. and up until five minutes until after the meeting begins.

Testimony will be limited to three minutes per speaker, for no longer than 30 minutes, and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Testimony will take place after the quorum call, pledge of allegiance and invocation, and will be overseen by City Council’s Sergeant at Arms (staff of Rules Chair Michelle Harris (8)). The change was prompted by an Open Meetings Act lawsuit filed earlier this year, and critics have charged the allotted time is not enough.

Unless Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) has his say and City Council holds a special meeting to discuss CPS funding, this will also be the last City Council or committee meeting until September while the city and county traditionally enjoy a summer recess.

Items Slated For Approval

*Red Light Camera Settlement - Aldermen approved a nearly $39 million settlement in Finance Committee on Monday. The City will create a fund on behalf of ticketed drivers: $26.75M in cash and $12M in the extinguishment of debt on amounts owed on alleged red light violations that occurred between March 2010 and May 2015. The city will use money from two recent settlements in their favor: one from Redflex (related to a bribery scheme involving those red light cameras), and one from online hotel booking companies.

*O2017-4840 – Rezone of the North Branch Industrial Corridor. The ordinance repeals portions of the Planned Manufacturing District (PMD) designation for the north and southern portion of the corridor– Goose Island would remain industrial– and sets up two new funding tools that leverages developer fees to cover public construction and support manufacturing in the city’s other PMDs and Industrial Corridors. Ald. Scott Waguespack (32) voted against it in committee. (This DPD website, which the department updates regularly, has every resource you need to understand the complex ordinance)

*O2017-2002 – School Loading Zones – An ordinance from North Side Aldermen Pat O’Connor (40) and Marge Laurino (39) that’d let schools and daycare centers designate school loading zones to make it easier and safer for parents to drop off and pick up their kids. The schools would have to pay and apply for the loading zone with the city.

*SO2017-4894 – Food Truck License Fee For O’Hare – Establishes a $200 license fee for a new food truck pilot program at the city’s airports. Originally Midway was included in the language, but it was removed in committee at the request of Ald. Marty Quinn (13) who argued allowing food trucks at Midway would “cut against the hard work” he’s put into building up the nearby commercial strip along Cicero Avenue.

*O2017-4903 – Lease For Art Sculpture – An agreement between the city and the The Purpose Foundation for a new sculpture garden at 450 E. 47th St., across the street from Guichard Gallery, in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood of the 3rd Ward.

*Ten ordinances establishing Airbnb prohibitions for various voting precincts of the 13th Ward. This includes the 6th, 4th, 11th, 20th, 22nd, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 38th and 42nd precincts. This is the second package of prohibitive zoning rules from Ald. Marty Quinn’s (13) constituents and he’s expected to introduce two more today.

*O2017-4842 - Expenditure of $643,000 in Open Space Impact Fees for a new public park in West Town. The nearly one acre park would be located on city-owned land at 642 N. Milwaukee Ave., adjacent to the Kennedy Expressway and Erie Street.

*O2017-5161 – An ordinance from City Clerk Anna Valencia that’d repeal established parking restrictions for commercial vehicles in residential zones. Specifically, it repeals Section 9-64-115 of the city’s municipal code, which states, “Commercial vehicles shall not be permitted to park on property designated for residential use except for temporary parking for deliveries and by repairman's vehicles working on the premises.” The change would take effect upon passage and publication.

*O2017-4918 Amended Airport Lease Agreement – Whenever a concessionaire plans to transfer ownership stake in its concession agreement with the city, aldermanic approval is required. This transfer concerns Dufry International AG, one of the companies in the corporate ownership structure of both the Hudson Entities and the Hudson Subtenant Entities. Dufry is seeking to transfer 100% ownership interest in Dufry Americas Holding, Inc. to a newly created company, Hudson LTD. this has no impact on airport operations, rather, its purpose is to create a clean LLC for a planned IPO (Coverage)

*O2017-5087 – A slew of Small Business Improvement Fund grant increases for improvement of commercial and industrial facilities of small businesses in various redevelopment areas. Basically, this is a bundle authorization for increased TIF spending for SBIF.

*R2017-495 – Class 6(b) tax incentive for property at 2300 and 2331 S. Blue Island Ave. in the Pilsen Industrial Corridor of the 25th Ward. Paulina North, LLC intends to construct an approximately 227,043 sq ft industrial facility on the site. The facility would be leased to Prefered Freezers Services of Chicago III, LLC.

*R2017-496 – Another Class 6(b) tax incentive for Paulina North, LLC, which also owns additional property in the Pilsen Industrial Corridor at  at 2400, 2500 and 2501 S. Wood St. The company intends to build an approximately 156,000 sq ft industrial facility on the property and then sell it to to an LLC. A third of the space will be leased to La Hacienda Brands, Inc.

*R2017-499 –  A Class 6(b) tax incentive for Skvaril, LLC for property it owns at 1929-1937 W. Walnut St. in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor. The applicant, Dawn Skvaril, plans to rehabilitate an existing 3,600 sq ft industrial facility and construct a 5,600 sq ft warehouse. The site would be leased to Production Craft, Inc.

*O2017-5378 – Support of Class L tax incentive for property at 632 N. Dearborn St. (The River North Castle building)

*O2017-5402 – Support of Class L tax incentive for property at 932-940 W. Fulton Mkt

*O2017-4854 – Six city-owned parcels valued at $2 million would be sold to Humboldt Park developer L&MC Investments LLC for $6 to support the construction of single family homes that’d be priced at about $240,000, well below market value. (A nearby home recently sold for over $1 million. The land, located at 2327-2341 W. Erie St. in the 26th Ward, is approximately 18,400 sq ft in size and was once home to a city garage and ward office that have since been demolished.  Once built, the city plans sell the homes at affordable rates through a lottery system. (Coverage: City Land Sale In Humboldt Park Turns Into Affordable Housing Policy Debate)

*O2017-4886 – $4,600 sale of city-owned land at 6545 S. Wood St. in the 15th Ward to Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church for the use of landscaped open space.

*O2017-4888 – $17,500 sale of city-owned land at 8947 S. Commercial Ave. in the 10th Ward to Antonio Macias of Crown Point, Indiana. (PIN: 26-06-217-015-0000)

*O2017-4881 – $17,000 sale of city-owned land at 1315 N. Monticello Ave. in the 26th Ward to Ruben Osorio and Martina Osorio (PIN: 16-02-122-010-0000, Zoning: RS-3, Size: 8,784 sq ft)

*O2017-4843  $155,000 sale of city-owned land at  1024 N. Rockwell Ave., located east of Humboldt Park in the 26th Ward, to Miguel Barron. (PIN 16-01-413-041-0000, Zoning: RT-4, Size: 2,048 sq ft)

Appointments

*A2017-73 – Renewed Terms For Police Board members Eva-Dina Delgado, a manager at People’s Gas, and Steve Flores, a partner at the law firm Winston & Strawn. Their terms would be extended through August 10, 2022.

*A2017-63 – Renewed term for Chicago’s Chair of the Commission on Human Relations Mona Noriega  (Coverage: Human Rights Commissioner Noriega, Three Other Commissioners Reappointments Up in Committee)

*A2017-64 Renewed terms for three members of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations: Ryan M. Dunigan ( a litigator at Winston & Strawn) , Reyahd D.J. Kazmi (Director of Business & Government Strategies at National Youth Advocate Program & City Clerk Anna Valencia’s husband) and Leisa Y. Mosley (the Human Resources Director for Chicago Family Health Center). All would expire on July 1, 2020.

*A2017-65, -66 Two Appointments to the city’s Advisory Council on Equity: Bala R. Ghimire (owns The Chicago Curry House and The Curry Hut) and Daniel Hwang (attorney at Washington DC-based Global IP Counselors LLP) as member of Advisory Council on Equity.

Members of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus joined aviation security officers Tuesday at City Hall to announce an order they plan to introduce at Wednesday’s City Council Meeting that would force Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans to explain updated security procedures for O’Hare and Midway Airport.

Members of the Council’s Budget Committee Tuesday approved the disbursement of more than a million dollars in federal and private grants for the city Health Department’s ongoing efforts to track and combat sexually transmitted diseases, as well as this year’s One Summer Chicago program. New safety requirements for city contractors that use large trucks or vehicles also advanced and is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to reduce traffic fatalities.

Aldermen and officials with the city’s Department of Planning and Development disagreed Wednesday as to whether the city had engaged in a “shell game” with TIF funds following a Crain’s investigation released Friday. Several aldermen argued DPD officials were not upfront with the way taxpayer funds were being used to accomplish redevelopment goals at McCormick Place and Navy Pier. DPD Commissioner David Reifman said though he wasn’t at the helm of the department, DPD achieved the goal of the city’s TIF ordinance, by creating jobs, spurring economic development, and boosting tourism.

Corporation Counsel Ed Siskel fielded tough questioning from aldermen who sought to get to the bottom of who was to blame for the city’s red light camera boondoggle. Not only were aldermen dissatisfied they had to approve a $38 million payout, they wanted to know how the city managed to mishandle its notification system in the first place. In an odd comeuppance, a $20 million settlement from the red light camera vendor, Redflex, will go toward payouts owed to the 1.18 million people who received 1.9 million violations without proper notice.

After nearly four hours of grilling Department of Planning and Development Commissioner David Reifman, a joint meeting of the City Council’s Finance and Zoning Committees advanced an ordinance that would set the stage for mixed-use development along the North Branch of the Chicago River by repealing portions of the strict Planned Manufacturing District (PMD) designation that prohibited anything but industrial uses for the last 30 years.

DPD Web Page: North Branch Framework Plan and Design Guidelines

Only one alderman, Scott Waguespack (32) requested to be recorded as voting no. Though Ald. Michele Smith (43) has been a vocal critic of the plan, she isn’t a member of either committee, an issue she previously faced with the Airbnb ordinance. Another Alderman, George Cardenas (12), threatened to use a parliamentary procedure to block a vote on the ordinance, which could have delayed the rezone of North Branch for more than a month, since City Council typically does not meet in August.  

Two items are slated for review Wednesday by the Council’s Budget Committee: Approval of new grant funding for the Department of Family and Support Services and additional safety requirements for city contractors that use large vehicles.

SEIU Local 73, the collective bargaining unit that represents 230 Aviation Security Officers (ASOs) at O’Hare and Midway Airports, filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court alleging the city violated the terms of their labor contract. On Tuesday, members of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus plan to hold a press conference in support of the union and demand the city halt efforts to minimize their authority at the city’s two airports.

In the suit filed on July 20th, SEIU Local 73 argues that an ongoing effort by the Department of Aviation to strip ASOs of their law enforcement status by requiring the removal of “Police” monikers from their jackets and cars, as well as newly announced policies for emergency response that put the Chicago Police Department, not ASOs, as first responders to incidents at city airports violates the “Traditional Work” clause of their collective bargaining agreement with the city. That CBA was approved in 2011 and was extended in 2016 through the end of this year.

Attorneys representing Cook County and retail merchants gathered again in Judge Daniel Kubasiak’s courtroom Friday afternoon to discuss whether the county’s beverage tax was applied uniformly and reasonably administered. Comm. Richard Boykin (D-1), who has called the tax “regressive”, used the day’s proceedings to again call the budget fallout from the stalled beverage tax collection and subsequent layoffs a “manufactured crisis” by the Preckwinkle administration.

Monday begins with a joint meeting of the City Council’s Finance and Zoning Committees with one item on the agenda–the rezone of the North Branch Industrial Corridor. The item needs approval from both committees because it includes plans for new revenue streams linked to anticipated developments, all of which would be controlled by the Department of Planning and Development.

But the committees may have trouble gathering a quorum. Several aldermen are scheduled to attend a protest outside Navy Pier in the wake of a joint Crain’s and BGA investigation that suggests millions of TIF dollars were ported to the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) to cover the cost of a new hotel. Local Ald. Pat Dowell (3) has already demanded a hearing on the ordinance. City Council passed the ordinance authorizing the transfer of increment dollars from surrounding districts in October 2014.

A protest and press conference organized by community groups and aldermen is scheduled outside Navy Pier on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. The group will hold “golden hot dogs, signs and banners to symbolize what a $55 million renovation to the Navy Pier food court can get you.” Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Ald. Toni Foulkes (16), and members of the group Grassroots Collaborative will attend.

A $38.75 million red light camera settlement is surely the largest item up for consideration by Finance Committee Monday. The proposed payout is divided among two class action lawsuits filed against the city in 2015 and 2016.

Amidst uncertainty over the future of its funding while state legislators and the governor wrangle over state education funding, Chicago Public Schools gave principals some guidance Thursday morning, releasing per pupil spending numbers that are up $200 from last year’s rates. But CPS is not expected to release its full budget until August 7, and in a brief conference call with reporters, CPS CEO Forrest Claypool did not offer details on how the district is planning to address a projected $544 million deficit for Fiscal Year 2018.

The Chicago Plan Commission approved a repeal of a majority of the Planned Manufacturing District designation for the North Branch Industrial Corridor, setting the stage for full City Council approval next week. It’s the first PMD to be repealed since the strict classification was first implemented in the 1990s as a way to protect Chicago’s manufacturing sector. Compared to other PMDs spread across the city, the North Branch Corridor has seen a sharp decline in industrial services, mainly due to lower costs elsewhere

The mayor-appointed land use body also approved several city-sponsored developments, including two CHA-partnered projects on the North Side that would provide affordable housing for seniors. These developments are particularly notable because it's the first time a developer has also partnered with the Chicago Public Library. Both developments include a public library on the ground floor.

Another city-led project, an amended PD for the Daley College campus initiated by the Public Building Commission, also advanced. The school plans to build a new academic building for advance manufacturing.

And Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41) was unsuccessful in his effort to block a nearly 300-unit residential high-rise planned near the Cumberland stop on the city’s Blue Line. Though he claimed the neighborhood was absolutely opposed, not a single person showed up to testify against it, a point one commissioner raised before the vote. Only Ald. Tom Tunney (44) voted against that project, citing respect for Aldermanic privilege.