Members of City Council’s Zoning Committee face a likely marathon hearing today: not only is the Mayor’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund up for consideration, there are 17 additional pages agenda items, smack in the middle of a packed Council day.

You can see more details on the Mayor’s plan to simplify and update the city’s downtown floor area bonus formula for the first time since 2004 in our previous report on the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund. The ordinance up for debate today would overhaul the process the city currently uses to manage square footage to buildings in the city’s downtown area, and links fees collected for those increases to investments in some of the city’s most economically underserved neighborhoods.

Other items of note:

• New TOD In Lakeview: A seven story Transit Oriented Development is being proposed at the site of “The Alley”, the now-closed Lakeview staple for leather punk and goth wear, owned by local Ald. Tom Tunney’s (44) former aldermanic challenger, Mark Thomas. He told DNAInfo his store was “slaughtered” by construction and crime along Belmont Ave. The proposed site would have 24 residential units on floors 2-7, commercial space in the basement and first floors, and 100% of required affordable housing units on-site. The new building would be located next to the Target Express currently being built on the busy corner of Clark and Belmont, near the Belmont stop on the CTA’s Red Line.

• 500 Room Hotel In River North: Landlord Albert Friedman is seeking a zoning change to Waterway Business Planned Development to add a 377 foot tall, 500 room hotel to a property along the river downtown at 322 N. Clark. According to Crain’s, the development would be next to the Reid Murdoch Center, a vintage brick office office building Friedman already owns in the 42nd Ward. He was also developer on three hotels just north of this proposed project: Aloft, Hyatt Place, and Fairfield Inn & Suites. Jack George is listed as the attorney on the project. Since the hotel needs a planned development it will be immediately deferred at the start of the meeting.

• Far West Side Townhouses: Mia Property Acquisitions is seeking a planned development to build 14 three-story, six unit residential buildings with 145 onsite parking spaces in the 29th Ward near the city’s border. The site is near the Galewood Metra stop and UCSN Roberto Clemente School. The property owner is Regal Beloit Corp., an electric motor manufacturer based in Beloit, Wisconsin.

• Finkl Steel Area Redevelopment: A 207,000 square-foot office building from developer Sterling Bay is being proposed in the 2nd Ward near the buzzed-about 28-acre Finkl Steel site, which may see looser zoning rules later this year. According to Crain’s, logistics firm C.H. Robinson Worldwide plans to move some of its 2,000 employees to the site of the former Guttman leather tannery in Lincoln Park. The zoning change sought is for a Waterway Planned Development, which means it will need to go before the Plan Commission prior to City Council action.

City Council’s Budget Committee will hear the appointment of Barrett Murphy to serve as Water Commissioner at its 10:00am meeting today. Murphy was former Deputy Commissioner under Tom Powers, and has served in various positions in Chicago government over the past 20 years. Powers exited as the city faced questions over its lead testing, though the Mayor’s office said he had planned to leave a year earlier, but “agreed to stay on longer at the Mayor’s request to ensure a smooth transition.”

DWM is in the middle of a 10 year capital improvement program which this year, includes replacing 90 miles of water, 72 miles of sewer and installing 14,000 sewer structures and 20,000 water meters. The effort is being funded, in part, by a rate hike that passed in 2012. DWM has more than 2,000 employees and a budget over $1 billion.

Julie Hernandez-Tomlin, currently DWM’s Managing Deputy, will replace Murphy as the First Deputy Commissioner. Marisol Santiago, currently DWM’s Director of Administration, will replace Hernandez-Tomlin as the Department’s Managing Deputy.  

The committee will also consider the appointment of Patricia G. Perez to the Chicago Public Library (CPL) Board. Perez is the former Executive Director of law firm Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, and served as Director of Administration at several other large Chicago law firms. According to her LinkedIn, Perez left NG&E in April 2014 and started her own consulting firm. She also serves as Board President of Erie House, where Ald. Proco Joe Moreno’s (1) wife, Celena Roldan Moreno, recently served as Executive Director. Perez succeeds Cristina Benitez, whose term expired. Perez is already listed as a board member on CPL’s website.

An intergovernmental agreement with the Sheriff’s office to trade use of two city-owned backhoes and a wood chipper for the County’s Restoring Neighborhoods Workforce Program (RENEW) in exchange for use of Cook County Jail inmates to serve as Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program (SWAP) is also on the agenda. RENEW participants deconstruct, clear and secure vacant and abandoned properties in Cook County. SWAP participants are non-violent offenders charged with DUI and other misdemeanor crimes who “swap” jail time for community service like cleaning streets, sidewalks, and viaducts.

Several amendments removing the “bureau of fire prevention”, “director in charge of the bureau of fire prevention” and “division marshal” from portions of the municipal code regulating inspections, and replacing it with “fire department” and “fire commissioner” are up for a vote. The committee will also consider a minor budget amendment to reflect a $5,000 federal grant awarded to the Department of Family and Support Services for a Medicare program.

Prior to holding a joint hearing with the License Committee on the mayor’s newly proposed regulations for Airbnb, the Council’s Housing Committee will take up a series of routine land sales and appointments.

The Housing Committee will consider the appointment of Juan Linares to the 15-member Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund Board. Linares, the Executive Director of LUCHA, a Northwest Side organization that focuses on affordable housing, briefly served on the city’s Plan Commission, and was known for pressing developers about on-site affordable housing plans, including one-for-one replacement of affordable units at CHA’s Lathrop Homes, which is currently undergoing a massive, mixed-use redevelopment plan. He resigned in mid-April, but would not publicly comment on the reason. Deborah Bennett (member since 2006), Sol Flores (member since 2010), and Gabriela Roman (member since 2000) are also up for re-appointment.  

The sale of the former Leland Elementary School is also up for committee consideration. Students from Leland joined students from Armstrong Math & Science and relocated to the May Elementary building. May was part of the 2012 school closings. Under the ordinance up in committee today, the Leland building would be sold to Kidz Express to be used for community youth programming. Kidz Express, a not-for-profit, describes itself as “providing holistic solutions to the urban challenges of South Austin by building a continuum of community support” on its website. Though the site was appraised between $300,000 and $350,000, Kidz had the highest bid at $201,065.

Three separate lease agreements for clinic space are also on today’s agenda. The city plans to lease 6,400-square-feet of clinical office space at the Lower West Side Neighborhood Health Clinic in Pilsen to the University of Illinois to deliver primary care, maternal health, and preventative medical services, according to the ordinance. The intergovernmental agreement between the city and the University would expire in 2022, and the University will pay $1 for the lease.

Another $1 lease being proposed is between the city and The Thresholds, a mental and behavioral health services provider. Thresholds would use roughly 14,000-square-feet of clinical office space in the Lakeview Neighborhood Health Clinic (44th Ward) for mental health and substance abuse services, group therapy, and wellness classes.

Part of the Englewood Neighborhood Health Clinic is also up for a $1, six year lease agreement with Howard Brown Health. The Chicago Department of Public Health(CDPH) announced earlier this year it would partner with Howard Brown and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to privatize operations at city-owned HIV clinics.

The committee will also consider an $810,000 land sale to developer Peppercorn Capital LLC, whose client list has included Crate & Barrel/CB2, Binny's, Goose Island Brewery, Goodwill Industries, and Harpo Productions. The group is looking to purchase a plot in Ald. Walter Burnett’s 27th Ward near the United Center. Its bid came $400,000 above the appraised value of the vacant lot.

Mt. Sinai Hospital and Medical Center is also looking to buy a vacant plot of city-owned land to construct a parking lot as part of its massive redevelopment, Sinai Tomorrow. The city has already awarded the hospital $31 million in TIF money for the $100 million redevelopment. The sale up for committee consideration today is for $1. Though the land is valued at roughly $190,000, there were no other bids. Sinai is the biggest employer in Ald. Jason Ervin’s 28th Ward.

A substitute ordinance changing nudity rules and allowing strip clubs to serve alcohol will be introduced by License Committee Chair Emma Mitts (37) in Wednesday’s Council meeting, following her move to defer and publish a previous version of the same ordinance at April’s Council meeting. The previous D&P of the strip club ordinance, which included Zoning Chair Danny Solis (25), allows Mitts to force an up or down vote on her latest substitute, which has gone through a number of revisions in the last month.

Under Ald. Mitts’ most recent substitution circulated on paper yesterday, strip clubs would be allowed to purchase a two-year $75,000 license for the privilege of serving alcohol and having their dancers perform topless. Excruciatingly specific language in the substitute would allow use of only g-strings in clubs that serve alcohol. Current zoning code bans alcohol, but allows BYOB (bring your own bottle), and dancers are required to cover parts of their breasts and buttocks.

“The problem is they bring their own bottle,” Ald. Mitts told reporters yesterday. “What is that? That means you can drink [there]. Why not regulate them...license that establishment, get some money for that liquor license.”

But opponents of the changes charge that selling more alcohol in the clubs will only fuel violence against the dancers.

“The level of nudity in the strip clubs is not the source of our opposition. It’s the introduction of alcohol,” said Lynne Johnson, Policy Director of Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE).

“As the night wears on, the patrons are getting drunker and drunker, [the dancers] are getting hit, slapped, called names. Many are in back rooms and no one can hear them because the music is so loud and they have very few people to protect them,” Johnson said at a press conference yesterday morning attended by Alds. Patrick Daley Thompson (11), Toni Foulkes (16), Matt O’Shea (19), Michele Smith (43) and James Cappleman (46).

According to the new version of the ordinance, all revenue derived from the new “live adult sub-use license” fee will be set aside in a special fund to support services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

“Domestic violence providers are not interested in cash resulting from strip clubs. Allowing sexual exploitation in return from cash from strip clubs is not OK,” said Johnson.

Tomorrow, City Council’s License and Housing Committees will consider a substitute ordinance from Mayor Rahm Emanuel to create new regulations for short term rental companies like Airbnb in Chicago.

Under the amended proposal, the type of registration or license required will change depending on the type of platform used to rent the unit. According to Shannon Breymaier, a spokesperson for the Mayor, the breakdown would be:  

• “Intermediaries” like Airbnb would be required to produce monthly reports regarding rental activity to the city and local alderman. These businesses would have to also provide insurance on behalf of their hosts and remove units in violation of city rules. Units booked through an intermediary would be required to register as a “shared housing unit.”
• For “advertising platforms” like HomeAway, which collect a fee for units listed on the company’s platform, the city would face similar regulations as intermediaries: the company would have to provide unit registration data from the city, and remove homes from listings that aren’t licensed. Units booked through an advertising platform or offline (e.g. newspaper ads) would be subject to an updated “vacation rental” license.
• A new “shared housing unit operator” license would be created for hosts who rent more than one shared housing unit. This license would provide the city with an additional tool to enforce against bad actors by allowing suspension or revocation action against an operator’s license and all the operator’s units registered units if there’s a violation in any unit.

Mayor Emanuel’s new plan calls for doubling the surcharge to 4% on the booking of any shared housing unit, bed and breakfast, or vacation rental. A majority of the money would help pay for city-run homeless and affordable housing initiatives. Up to 8% of the approximately $2 million in revenue raised from this surcharge will pay for enforcement and administration.

And “to address quality of life concerns” raised by several North Side aldermen, who represent neighborhoods with the highest concentration of Airbnb rentals, the ordinance would set limits on the number of allowable units within buildings.

• For single family homes: “only primary residences–when the host is present–can be listed or licensed, and egregious conditions like large parties would be subject to heightened penalties.”
• For multi-family homes (2-4 units): one rental per building would be allowed.
• For multi-unit buildings: the building owner, condo board or homeowners association would be in charge of setting the limit of units. They would have to inform the city of those limits. So-called “Guest sites”, or extra units within buildings for family and friends that are not advertised as primary residences, are not subject to the restrictions.

The owner of any home-sharing unit found facilitating “egregious conditions” such as drug trafficking, prostitution, and gang activity would face a $5,000 fine for each day found in violation, in addition to losing the privilege of renting out that unit. The plan also calls for a three strikes rule for other types of disturbances to surrounding neighbors, like noise or exceeding occupancy limits. “The City will have the right to suspend or revoke a registration for certain types of offenses, including if the continued rental would pose an imminent threat to public safety,” an email from Breymaier says.

Three items are listed on the agenda today for the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development: two Class 6(b) property tax breaks for industrial properties and a reappointment to the Community Development Commission, the body in charge of establishing new TIF districts and Redevelopment Areas, as well as the appointment of members to Community Conservation Councils. This will be Ald. Proco Joe Moreno's (1) first time chairing the committee. His predecessor, Ald. Howard Brookins (21) was tapped to fill Ald. Will Burns' slot as Education Committee chair.

Rockwell Properties applied for a Class 6(b) tax incentive to support the “purchase, rehabilitation and build-out” of a 135,000-square-foot of industrial space at 3057 N. Rockwell Ave. The rehab would be to accommodate Metropolis Coffee Company, which uses part of the property for coffee roasting, warehousing, and office space. The rest of the available space in the building would be targeted out to other food related companies.

The property is located in the Addison Industrial Corridor, along the North Branch of the Chicago River in Ald. Deb Mell’s 33rd Ward. The project is expected to cost $11.2 million, including the cost of remediation work, roof repairs and upgrades to the 11 industrial buildings located on site. With the tax incentive, the company would save $1.6 million over the next 12 years.

Another application for a Class 6(b) tax incentive from J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.would help the company continue operating a 28-acre trucking and intermodal facility in Stevenson Industrial Corridor. If approved, this would be the company’s third renewal, saving the company an estimated $3.1 million in real estate taxes over the next 12 years. The company applied for their first Class 6(b) designation in 1994 and renewed it in 2006, saving the company $4.9 million.

The third item on the agenda is the reappointment of Robert Buford to the Community Development Commission, a 15-member body that oversees TIFs. Buford is the CEO of Planned Realty Group. He was first appointed to the commission in 2011 by Mayor Emanuel.

 

Presser Against Mitts’ Strip Club Ordinance Scheduled This Morning, After Mitts Files Rule 41
by A.D. Quig – [email protected]

Representatives from sexual exploitation advocacy groups will hold a press conference at City Hall this morning against Ald. Emma Mitts’ (37) ordinance allowing liquor sales at fully nude strip clubs. Advocacy groups say the alcohol and full nudity are an “explosive combination frequently leading to abuse, assault and violence in areas where strip clubs are located.” Ald. Toni Foulkes (16) and Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) will also join today’s press conference.

Though the issue passed the Zoning Committee last month, Ald. Mitts deferred and published the item at April’s full Council meeting, saying she didn’t want to “mislead” her colleagues, and initially believed the measure was limited to topless bars. She said the ordinance, which has the backing of Ald. Ed Burke (14) would need some re-working. She filed a Rule 41 on Friday saying she intends to call it for a vote this Wednesday.

The City Council’s Finance Committee will consider authorizing $600 million in general obligation bonds as part of the Administration’s overall $1.2 billion GO issue for 2016. The original borrowing plan, introduced in January, was cut down to $650 million following Council concerns about growing city debt and unclear plans on how the bond proceeds would be spent.

“We will come back to the Council when we have more details around the capital projects with a proposal to do general obligation new money capital later in the year,” city Chief Financial Officer Carole Brown told Finance Committee members on January 11.

Of the $600 million in GO bonds, $100 million of taxable debt will help with the cost of legal settlements expected to be paid out in 2016 and 2017, $150.5 million of tax-exempt debt for “E-Note” or equipment purchases in 2016 and 2017, and $237.2 of tax-exempt debt for capital spending in 2016 and 2017. While the total comes to $487.7, the city is seeking authorization for $600 in spending to cover the cost of borrowing the money and issuance fees.

At today’s Finance meeting, aldermen will also consider a plan championed by the Council’s Progressive Caucus that would require “more rigorous evaluation and more meaningful public scrutiny” of future debt offerings.

Under the plan, the city wouldn’t be able to enter into a debt transaction until a strict timeline is met. The Chief Financial Officer (currently Carole Brown) would be required to direct a Registered Agent to prepare a report determining if the issuance of new debt is in the best interests of the city and its residents, in addition to detailing the associated costs and risks.

The City Council’s newly-created Office of Financial Analysis (COFA) under the direction of Ben Winick, would be required to prepare a report on the debt transaction and circulate it to all members of the City Council. COFA would also be required to post that report publicly at least a week before the Finance Committee holds a hearing. That report must evaluate whether the proposed debt issuance is in the best interest of the city and quantify the associated risks to the taxpayers.

The Progressive Caucus drafted the “Debt Transaction Accountability” ordinance in consultation with the city’s Finance Department, following concerns raised over the city’s exposure to expensive swap termination fees. That debate was part of the reason why the administration chose to table half of its borrowing plan. Part of the proceeds from the first round of borrowing would have paid off some of those termination fees to switch the city’s variable rate debt to a fixed rate.

The Finance Committee will also take up a resolution from Chairman Ed Burke (14), Ald. Rod Sawyer (6), and Ald. Gregory Mitchell (7) to rename the South Water Purification Plant at 3300 E. Cheltenham Place to the Eugene “Gene” SawyerWater Purification Plant. Sawyer, the father of the 6th Ward aldermen and 53rd mayor of the city, began his career with the city’s water department, the resolution notes.

Another proposed ordinance from Chairman Burke would require that representatives with the Independent Police Review Authority testify before the Finance Committee when the body is deciding on legal settlements against police officers.  The ordinance, co-sponsored by Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), Ald. Leslie Hairston (5), who first called for the IPRA’s dissolution, plus Ald. Sawyer, would have required officials at IPRA attend the finance meetings and provide members with a “written status report on any and all investigations involving department members who are named parties to said lawsuits and controverted claims.”

Last Friday, in an op-ed published by the Chicago Sun-Times, Mayor Emanuel announced he would move to abolish the agency. The committee will also consider two settlements for families of men killed by CPD, totaling $3.2 million (more details in our Friday newsletter).

Another police-related ordinance on the Finance agenda from Chairman Burke would require the Police Superintendent to refer all cases involving the death of a suspect in custody to the Cook County State’s Attorney's Office. According to the ordinance, an “officer involved-death” includes any death that results directly from “an action or directly from an intentional omission, including unreasonable delay involving a person in custody or intentional failure to seek medical attention when the need for treatment is apparent.”

Any police-involved death that occurs while an officer is off duty would fall under this rule, as well, if that officer was “performing activities that are within the scope of his or her law enforcement duties.” The ordinance would take effect upon passage. Public Safety Chairman Ariel Reboyras (30), Budget Chair Carrie Austin (34), and Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Chairman Walter Burnett (27) are listed as co-sponsors.

The debate over how to regulate room-sharing companies like Airbnb boils to the surface as the City Council prepares to hold hearings on the matter next week. An alderman who wants to further regulate Uber and other ride-hailing services says he’s got the support he needs to get it through the Council. And Cook County Commissioners vote on massive redevelopment in the Illinois Medical district, and after some vociferous public support, pulled back on whether to make Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown's position an appointed one. (Correction: We mistakenly said the new Cook County Health and Hospitals building would cost $18 million. The correct estimated cost is $118 million.)

Two items from freshmen aldermen were tabled by Chairman George Cardenas (12) at yesterday’s Health and Environmental Protection Committee meeting–resolutions calling for the city to participate in a recycled asphalt pilot program and a humane coyote management program–while new rules on tattoos, piercings, and pet waste will move on to the full City Council on Wednesday.

Attendance: Chairman George Cardenas (12), Brian Hopkins (2), Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Willie Cochran (20), Ariel Reboyras (30), Deb Mell (33), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), James Cappleman (46), Harry Osterman (48)

Both Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) and Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) presented subject matter experts at yesterday’s meeting, but both of their proposals were tabled because city or state officials weren’t on hand to offer their perspective, Chairman Cardenas explained.

Villegas, whose pre-aldermanic career was mostly in the construction industry at the Illinois Capital Development Board and the Illinois Department of Transportation, offered up Brian Lansu, VP and legal counsel of US Recycled Asphalt Shingle, an industry trade group, as a witness. The city could save $5 per ton of asphalt if they participated in a statewide pilot program that used asphalt made with recycled shingles, Lansu testified. He says the Illinois Department of Transportation is already working on several projects using the asphalt, including in the Chicago area. But Cardenas opted to hold the resolution because the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) wasn’t there to testify.

“It was news to me that it was being held,” Ald. Villegas told Aldertrack. He assumed when the issue was called in committee, the Mayor’s office would have made a CDOT official available to testify. “I had a conversation with the Mayor’s office [after the meeting] that if they want to talk about something I’m okay with it, but don’t hold my resolution up without talking to me...I was a little frustrated with that. We can negotiate an ordinance, but I don’t like just arbitrarily saying ‘no’.”

Villegas says he wants a vote on the issue next month. “We’re in the beginning of paving season. I wanted to have the ability for Chicago to do a pilot program to put forth some cost-effective alternatives.” He estimates CDOT could save hundreds of thousands using the “green” asphalt.

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) presented two subject matter experts to back up his pitch for more humane treatment of coyotes by animal control officials. Stan Gehrt, an associate professor at the Ohio State University who has studied the increasing population of coyotes in Cook County, testified about local coyotes’ eating habits (feral cats, rats, goose eggs, and deer), reaction to humans (they generally stay away), and the risks of having them live nearby (some carry disease, and some have nipped at humans who get close to them).

Chris Anchor with the Cook County Forest Preserve also testified, expressing his “gratitude that Chicago is taking the initiative to use science-based program… and an incredible amount of science has been done right here in the community.”

But Ald. Cardenas held the issue. Hopkins’ office said the hold was to ensure there was no conflict with the state’s Animal Welfare Commission.

“We did not have the respective city and state agencies, we need to have them to make hay of what we’re talking about,” Ald. Cardenas said of both proposals after the meeting adjourned. He said there was a miscommunication with Ald. Hopkins’ office, that he believed the issue wasn’t supposed to be called until June, but Hopkins’ expert was in town today. He says there will be a “more robust” proposal introduced later on.

The committee did move on several other proposals:

• A proposal from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) and others would make leaving pet waste on your own private property a fineable offense if it passes full Council Wednesday. Rosa said the ordinance was spurred on because there was no code on the books that allowed residents to complain about pet waste piling up in their neighbor’s yard. Officials with the Department of Streets and Sanitation said similar to rules about overgrown weeds, they would talk to the offender before issuing a fine (which could range between $50 and $500). Neighbors shouldn’t have to deal with “five, ten, fifteen pounds of poop and smells,” when they open their windows or walk to their car, Ald. Willie B. Cochran (20) testified. Rosa said it will also eliminate a popular food source for rats, though Ald. James Cappleman (46) pushed back, citing Steve Dale’s (host of Steve Dale’s Pet World) contention the pests prefer seeds, berries, and trash more than feces. Cappleman ultimately supported the ordinance, though, saying it was a “quality of life issue.”   

• A proposal from Mayor Emanuel banning those under 18 from using tanning salons, allow anyone 18 and up to get tattoos, and require those under 18 who would like to get a lip or tongue piercing to have a parent sign an official form issued by Public Health Commissioner Julie Morita.

• Two introductions from the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH): one clarifying city code on low-risk restaurants that issue self-inspections for food safety, the other, part of the city’s Healthy Chicago 2.0 initiative, calls for policymakers to apply a health lens to all law making, and creates a cross-department task force to examine how the city can address short, medium, and long term recommendations for changes to policies, practices, and procedures to improve community health.

Aldermen will consider $3.2 million in police settlements and two police reform ordinances in the Finance Committee Monday, with both reform ordinances backed by Chairman Ed Burke (14). One item requires the head of the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) appear before the committee when police settlements are requested by Corporation Counsel. IPRA’s current head, Sharon Fairley, would have to provide committee members a written status report “on any and all investigations involving department members who are named parties to said lawsuits or controverted claims.”

The ordinance is sponsored by Burke (14), Ald. Scott Waguespack (32), Ald. Leslie Hairston (5), and Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6). Both items were introduced last month, just after Ald. Burke lamented the deaths of two men in Chicago Police custody. Aldermen approved two settlements totaling $6.5 million to the families of both men–one who was repeatedly tasered in police custody, the other who died after an asthma attack.  

The other ordinance, sponsored by Burke, Ald. Carrie Austin (34), Public Safety Chair Ariel Reboyras (30), and Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27), would require the Police Superintendent to refer all cases involving the death of a suspect in custody to the Cook County State’s Attorney's Office.

According to the ordinance, an “officer involved-death” includes any death that results directly from “an action or directly from an intentional omission, including unreasonable delay involving a person in custody or intentional failure to seek medical attention when the need for treatment is apparent.” Any police-involved death that occurs while an officer is off duty would fall under this rule, as well, if that officer was “performing activities that are within the scope of his or her law enforcement duties.” The ordinance would take effect upon passage.

Aldermen are set to vote on a $2.2 million settlement to the family of Emmanuel Lopez, who was killed by police at a traffic stop. His aunt, Ana Lopez-Cervin, initially sought $20 million in damages. Lopez, an illegal immigrant, was shot 16 times at the stop in 2006. The officers, according to the Chicago Tribune, said they fired at Lopez's car only after he drove into an officer and trapped him under his bumper. Lopez’s family said the ballistics and tire tracks on the officer’s pants didn’t support their claim.

A $1 million settlement is also up for committee consideration, to the mother of a Ryan Rogers, who was shot once and killed by a CPD officer in 2013. Rogers’ girlfriend told CBS Chicago she and Rogers were getting in their car on 171st street in East Hazel Crest to get something to eat, and were approached by undercover officers in plain clothes. Rogers’ girlfriend said he believed they were being robbed, and tried to drive away. Officers said they opened fire in fear for their lives.

The City Council's Health Committee will consider a grab bag of proposals–from coyote management to regulating tanning bed usage and body piercings. But no action will be taken on an ordinance from Ald. Jason Ervin (28) that was introduced back in January to increase staffing and new managed care contracts at the city’s existing mental health clinics, or several introductions from Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) regarding the city’s Animal Care and Control policies–including on euthanasia and impoundment.

On today’s agenda:

• Coyote Management: An ordinance requiring more humane handling of wild coyotes from Ald. Brian Hopkins (2) calls for the city’s Department of Animal Care and Control “utiliz[e] education and humane hazing methods as primary methods and using lethal force only in the event of an incident or an attack” when dealing with coyotes in the city. Some have been spotted as far south as Streeterville. Hopkins argues the animals are effective pest managers and generally stay away from humans.
• Self-inspection penalties for restaurants: A municipal code amendment submitted by the mayor would change penalties for restaurants the city considers low-risk for health code violations (ones that primarily sell beverages or pre-packaged foods, requiring no or minimal food handling or preparation). Low-risk restaurants are allowed to self-inspect and report back to the city. This ordinance adds a provision that would immediately suspend the restaurant's license for failure to submit that report on time, “pending resolution of the failure to the commissioner’s satisfaction.”
• Tanning, Body Piercing: First proposed by Mayor Emanuel in December 2015, the ordinance would ban those under 18 from using tanning salons, allow anyone 18 and up to get tattoos, and require those under 18 who would like to get an oral piercing (the ordinance doesn't designate lip or tongue) to have a parent sign an official form issued by Public Health Commissioner Julie Morita. Those 18 and up are already allowed to get tattooed in the state. Some parlors ignore city code (or reportedly, don’t know it exists) and allow younger customers to get inked.
• Dog Waste Clean-Up: An ordinance from the mayor and a small group of aldermen calls for property owners to clean up “pet waste” from their own yards or face fines, ranging from $50 to $500. The preamble of the ordinance cites Chicago’s distinction as the country’s “rattiest city” by pest company Orkin, and says 311 rodent complaints are on the rise. The amendment reads: “Feces from pets deposited upon any private property must be collected and removed daily by the property's owner or agent, by bagging and placing them in a city-issued or other rodent-resistant lidded waste container."
• Asphalt Pilot: Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36), a frequent transportation and infrastructure advocate, has sponsored a resolution calling for the city to participate in a statewide pilot program that aims to increase the amount of recycled material used in the production of asphalt. According to the the resolution, the use of high amounts of recycled materials in asphalt paving projects can provide “significant cost savings."
• Health in All Policies: This proposal from city’s health department calls for elected officials and city departments to apply a health lens to all policy development. The proposal is part of the department’s latest initiative, Healthy Chicago 2.0, which aims to address inequity in health outcomes that have disproportionately impacted lower income and minority residents. The resolution also calls for establishment of a health task force that includes all commissioners or their designees, led by the Department of Public Health. The task force must submit a report to the City Council by December 1, 2016 addressing short, medium, and long term recommendations for changes to policies, practices, and procedures to improve community health, and sources of funding to implement a Health in All Policies approach in the city.

A plan to impose stricter regulations on ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft could get a City Council Committee hearing as early as next Tuesday, according to main sponsor Ald. Anthony Beale (9).

Speaking to reporters after yesterday’s Transportation Committee meeting, Ald. Beale said that if both sides–the taxi industry and Uber–can reach an agreement on a plan requiring all ride-share drivers get a chauffeur's license, additional background checks and fingerprinting, the plan could advance to the full Council in time for their monthly meeting next Wednesday.

It would have to be heard by a joint hearing of the Council’s License and Transportation Committees. Ald. Beale said he’s confident he has the votes to get it through without any amendments.

“[We] continue to move forward, we’re adding sponsors every single day,” Ald. Beale said. “I think my colleagues see that we need to regulate this industry and we can’t allow them to police themselves. Because [Uber has shown that they can’t be trusted.”

Asked if he’s willing to budge on some of the provisions–like reducing regulations on yellow cab drivers in lieu of imposing stricter rules on ride-share drivers–Ald. Beale said it was a non-starter.

“What you are looking at is a new innovative company that is coming into the market and wants everyone to bow down and kowtow to them, instead of them working their way into the system as the system currently is,” Beale said.

“I’ve never seen a company come in and say 'Deregulate everybody, because we’re here, and totally disregard the law that is currently on the books.' That’s what they’ve been doing and that’s what they want to be able to continue to do,” Beale added.

Asked to describe the status of the ongoing private negotiations between the administration and the taxi industry, or whether an amendment to the ordinance is expected, Ald. Beale sidestepped the question and would only affirm that he has the votes to get his original plan through the council.

Since he introduced the plan in March, 33 aldermen have signed on as co-sponsors, he said. “I’m very confident in the position that we are currently in. Of course I am trying to work some issues out, and I think if we can work those issues out. Then I think that we can think we can hit a home run.”

But the Emanuel Administration isn’t dead set on letting the plan through as it’s currently written. Yesterday Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Maria Guerra Lapacek held a private meeting with the Illinois Transportation Trade Association (ITTA) and other members of the pro-taxi coalition.

According to ITTA’s attorney Mara Georges, who was at the meeting, Lapacek suggested that the new regulations include a distinction between drivers that use the ride-hailing platforms part time versus those who drive more than six hours a day. But Georges said the group wasn’t interested in that plan because it would be very difficult for the city to properly regulate and track how many hours worked for individual drivers.

BACP doesn’t think requiring a chauffeur’s license is reasonable, Georges told Aldertrack, adding that no changes to the ordinance or compromises were made during the meeting.

ITTA refuses to concede the licensing or the accessibility requirement, which would mandate at least 5% of ride share cars be wheelchair accessible, with the same response times and pricing as cars that aren’t.

Asked if Ald. Beale’s ordinance would do enough to bring parity among the two industries, and if it was enough for ITTA to withdraw its lawsuit against the city over its allegedly unequal laws governing medallion taxis and ride-hailing drivers, Georges said it “would go a long way,” but she’d need to see how it works out before there’s any talk about withdrawing the entire suit.

An unusually eventful day at the Cook County Board brought vehement and vocal support of Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, approval for refinancing of roughly $330 million in county bonds, and deferral of a gas tax intended to go toward a youth jobs program.

Clerk Resolution

The day’s biggest drama was over a resolution Comm. Peter Silvestri (R-9) planned to introduce asking leaders in Springfield to change the position of Cook County Circuit Court Clerk–currently held by Dorothy Brown–from an elected one to an appointed one, starting in 2020. The change had the support of Comm. Sean Morrison (R-17) and Comm. Larry Suffredin (D-13).

“I am very concerned about the divisive nature of this resolution, especially taken out of context, as it has in so many different ways in the last couple days,” Silvestri said at the beginning of the Board meeting. The proposal came not long after Brown wrote to the Board requesting a raise, and after one of her staffers pled guilty in a pay to play investigation into Brown’s office. Silvestri said the resolution had been in the works for a while, and he waited to introduce it until after the primary election. Brown, despite a federal investigation into her office and a pulled endorsement from Cook County Democrats, won her party's nomination handily. 

“This had nothing ever to do with the current Circuit Court Clerk,” Silvestri continued. “I consider her a friend.” President Preckwinkle asked for quiet as some booed. After a short statement, he announced he’d withdraw the resolution. It drew cheers from the crowd that packed the board room.

President Preckwinkle again asked the audience multiple times to return to their seats and be quiet.

“But you didn’t respect Laquan McDonald,” a man wearing a Black Lives Matter tee shirt said.  Scattered chants of “16 shots and a cover up,” began.

Silvestri and his co-sponsors said the move wasn’t aimed at Brown, but at streamlining court operations. “We run the largest court system in the country, and possibly in the world,” Suffredin said. Creating efficiency and “the quality of justice” within the department was an important concern.

“This was personal!” someone in the crowd yelled.

“Efficiency doesn’t always cause justice,” Commissioner Robert Steele (D-2) told Silvestri, thanking him for withdrawing the resolution.

Comm. Richard Boykin (D-1) accused Silvestri of “putting politics ahead of the people when we have the most pressing gun violence of our lifetime… yet we want to get waylaid and sidetracked by these kinds of resolutions that seek to undermine the people’s will.”

Silvestri could be seen mouthing “Really?” to Comm. John Daley (D-11).

Others who planned to protest the resolution, a group that included activists like Jedidiah Brown, Ja’Mal Green, and Zerlina Smith, filed out of the board room and joined Clerk Brown in the lobby for a press appearance, where Brown defended her elected position, then left the building. All while some chanted, “Dump the machine!”

Bond Approval

Despite some disagreement, commissioners also voted to authorize the refinancing of roughly $330 million in Series 2006 bonds. County CFO Ivan Samstein said it was “just a re-issue” to take advantage of lower interest rates and save the county $27 million over the next decade. According to a briefing document from Samstein to Finance Chair John Daley, the county does not plan to restructure any debt, a practice used at the county, city, and CPS.

“Our intended long term target for debt service is to moderate the growth rate of debt service, including all anticipated new money needs in the 2016 Capital Budget as approved by the Board of Commissioners.” Samstein said the administration might look to refinance the Series 2006B bonds in 2017.

The county has not issued any new debt since Preckwinkle took office in 2011, Samstein says. And it doesn't plan to until September, when the administration expects to ask commissioners to authorize an issuance to pay for construction of a new Cook County Health and Hospitals System building in the Illinois Medical District. Samstein estimates legal and underwriting fees for this issuance will total around $2 million.

Administration officials will meet with the three credit agencies later this month to discuss the County’s position. Each has given the county’s general bond ratings a negative outlook, which “demonstrate a very real possibility of future downgrades to the County Bond rating over the next 24 months,” the briefing doc from Samstein says. But he notes both Fitch and Moody’s have said the county’s adoption of a sales tax and extra contributions to worker pensions should result in positive credit implications.

Comm. Larry Suffredin reminded commissioners yesterday’s vote was not to borrow more money. “This is refinancing the existing debt. This is a prudent thing to do to save us money over a period of time.”

Comm. Richard Boykin was not persuaded. He voted no, citing senior lender Barclays being named in a predatory lending suit. Commissioners Bridget Gainer(D-10), Stanley Moore (D-4), and John Daley voted present.

Bid Incentives Adopted, Gas Tax Dropped

Dueling youth jobs pitches from Comm. Bridget Gainer and Comm. Richard Boykin faced their fate today as well. Boykin deferred his ambitious but ill-fated plan to tack an additional $0.04 tax on gasoline prices. Revenues would go toward a legislative package including $45 million for youth jobs, new parenting against violence initiatives, and a county disability office.

He announced his Community Violence and Stabilization Act shortly after commissioners held a hearing on dire unemployment numbers for youth of color. Comm. Gainer, who called for the unemployment hearing, introduced her own multi-pronged approach, which included bid incentives for county employers who hire teens.

Under Gainer’s plan, which received unanimous approval, qualified Cook County bidders can earn an incentive of up to one-half percent on county funded projects, if they hire teenagers between 16 and 19. “This is not an unfunded mandate, but infrastructure that allows those that want to employ young people the ability to do so,” Gainer said in a statement sent after the vote. “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.”  

Other Items Of Note

• Commissioners approved the interim appointment of a new County Medical Examiner, Dr. Ponni Arunkumar. She is the current Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, and will take over for Dr. Stephen Cina, who is leaving the position after achieving National Association of Medical Examiners accreditation earlier this year. When Cina was first appointed, the ME’s office was plagued by scandal, including coolers overcrowded with dead bodies.

• A resolution petitioning Springfield to “institute statewide licensing and regulation of gun dealers and ranges” was introduced by Comm. Larry Suffredin. The resolution cites the high price of one gun homicide “an average of $441,000 in direct costs (including law enforcement, medical expenses, court costs, and prison), of which 87% is paid by taxpayers.”

• Comm. Bridget Gainer, chair of the Pension Committee, called for a hearing to talk about the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions on pension reform, an update on actuarial valuations from last fiscal year, and information on payment of the sales tax into the county pension fund. The first sales tax payment–which goes above and beyond the statutorily required amount in state statute–was scheduled to be deposited at the end of April.

The City Council’s License and Housing Committees have set a tentative date to hold a joint hearing on a proposal from the Mayor’s Office to regulate room-sharing companies like Airbnb in Chicago.

That potential date, Tuesday, May 17, is not set in stone, however, because negotiations over how to amend the ordinance the mayor originally introduced in January are still ongoing, a City Hall source told Aldertrack yesterday, explaining that a meeting will only be held this month if both sides can agree on the changes. The two committees would have to issue a notice by this Friday if the plan to hold the meeting moves forward, per Open Meetings Act rules.

Meanwhile, former 4th Ward Alderman Will Burns joined 1871’s Tom Alexander yesterday for a Q&A on Airbnb’s legislative agenda at the tech incubator’s Merchandise Mart headquarters. Burns left City Council earlier this spring to lobby on behalf of the company as its director for the Midwest region.

Burns said the company is still in the middle of negotiations with City Hall about the “components of an amendment” to the mayor’s ordinance, which would require hosts to register their units with the city online, and for Airbnb to supplement that registry directly with the city. Under the original plan, the city would impose a 2% surcharge on the booking of any shared housing unit, bed and breakfast or vacation rental. Mayor Emanuel has since floated the idea of doubling that surcharge to increase the expected revenue, about $2 million, to pay for affordable housing and homeless initiatives.

“Airbnb wants to be regulated...we want to pay taxes like the hotels do,” said Burns, explaining that Chicago has the opportunity to set the benchmark nationally for how the industry should properly be regulated. He said that hasn’t been the case in other big cities like San Francisco (where the company originated), New York City or Los Angeles, where the company has seen a significant amount of legislative pushback.

“There is a built-in level of support for us,” Burns said. Referencing an internal poll Airbnb conducted of Chicago residents, Burns noted that 70% of Chicagoans have no problem with one of their neighbors participating in Airbnb; 68% said the city should pass regulations that would allow for the business to grow; and 71% said they would vote for an alderman who voted for regulations to support its growth.

“Our number one objective is that we want people to be able to host, we want people to be able to earn money, and we want an opportunity for this company to be legal, and for the folks who are doing this work to know that they can do it without someone trying to shut them down,” Burns explained.

Most of the people in the crowd were either hosts or renters on the platform, making it a noticeably pro-Airbnb event. Burns frequently touted statistics on the economic benefits of the company and its ability to help drive tourists to neighborhoods outside the city’s central business district. He described the Stevenson Expressway, which separates downtown from the South Side, as a “Berlin Wall”, saying more needs to be done to get tourists to explore sites beyond McCormick Place and Navy Pier.

And at one point, when asked about horror stories and safety issues that have infrequently impacted renters and listers on home-sharing service sites, Burns equated those stories to “opposition research” during an election, which prompted a warm response from the crowd.

Yesterday’s talk came on the same day as the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) released its own study on the room-sharing economy in Chicago.

The study, which was conducted by Penn State University’s School of Hospitality Management, found that more than half of Airbnb’s Chicago-area revenue, about $29 million, comes from operators who list their properties for rent more than 180 days a year. The data is based on analytics provided by Airdna, which tracks Airbnb revenues and operations and provides pricing and revenue data to Airbnb operators. Data on shared rooms or units, as well as “unique units” like boats, tree houses and tents, were excluded from the study.

The research was bankrolled primarily by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation, and disputed Airbnb’s claim that their platform is a gateway to the city’s underserved neighborhoods and a tool to help struggling homeowners make ends meet. The research noted the top five zip codes with the highest number of units and revenue are located downtown or on the city’s North Side:

60657 - Lakeview, Boystown
60611 - Magnificent Mile, Streeterville
60614 - Lincoln Park, Sheffield, Old Town Triangle
60610 - Old Town, Gold Coast
60622 - Wicker Park, West Town
Burns argued yesterday that most hosts make $5,000 on average per year. A significant percentage of those hosts rely on Airbnb rentals to supplement their income and pay their rent or mortgage, he said.

“We should be in the business of helping people make more money,” Burns added, mentioning the record property tax increase he approved last fall before vacating his seat on the Council. “I voted for that. I’m guilty as charged,” he said, with a slight chuckle.

An ordinance establishing a new animal abuse registry sailed through Cook County’s Law Enforcement Committee Tuesday morning, with the only public opposition coming from Tanya Triche of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA).

The ordinance, spearheaded by Commissioner John Fritchey, calls for the establishment of a registry to be run by the Sheriff’s Office listing the names and addresses of convicted abusers. The ordinance would require pet shops, shelters and rescues to check the registry prior to selling or adopting out an animal to any individual, and prevents abusers from buying or adopting pets for 15 years after their conviction.

Those convicted of dog fighting, animal torture or aggravated cruelty would be required register their names and addresses with the Animal Abuser Registry, or face a fine up to $2,000 dollars. Shelters or shop owners who “knowingly” let registered abusers walk away with a pet would face fines as well. Fritchey says legislation for a statewide animal abuse registry is pending in Springfield, and given “significant evidence to show animal abusers often go to commit violent crimes against humans,” commissioners have a “societal interest” to vote in favor. The Sheriff’s Office estimates the registry would be up and running by the new year. It will not include names of those convicted of prior offenses, only those occurring after January 1, 2017.

IRMA’s Tanya Triche testified the move is “well intentioned, but doesn’t tackle core issue of keeping convicted animal abusers to getting access to animals.” She argued point of sale systems at pet shops and rescues often do not have internet access, and checking the 100,000 pets sold across the county each year, from goldfish to dogs, is burdensome. Refusal to sell might put retailers at risk of assault from angry customers.

Fritchey disputed those claims, and told fellow commissioners IRMA approached him about only including offenders against dogs, cats, and rabbits on the registry. Fritchey said he dismissed the idea, saying that would mean “If somebody set a guinea pig on fire, we would have no problem selling them a dog or cat.”

The ordinance is expected to pass the full Board of Commissioners later today.