During a Tuesday news conference, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announces a deal to supply 24 percent of the county’s electricity using a new solar plant near Springfield beginning in 2025. [Office of the President]

County officials announced the county’s first power purchase agreement with a new solar energy facility Tuesday. The agreement to supply solar energy to the county is expected to make a dent toward achieving the county’s clean energy goals.  

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced the deal to purchase electricity from the Double Black Diamond Solar farm during a news conference joined by Jamie Meyers, deputy chief for the County Bureau of Asset Management, County Chief Sustainability Officer Deborah Stone, Comm. Maggie Trevor (D-9) and Comm. Frank Aguilar (D-16).  

Officials from Swift Current Energy and Constellation Energy, the developer of the solar site and retail supplier respectively, were also present.  

Less than 7 percent of the more than 100 eligible cases referred to a pilot program that uses mediated discussion to resolve police misconduct cases underwent mediation, and even fewer than that ended in an agreement or resolution, an investigation by the city’s Office of Inspector General found. 

The pilot program was launched in October 2022 under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and was mandated as part of the federal consent decree. The program was established with the Center for Conflict Resolution and uses dialogue between the complainant and the accused police officer facilitated by a neutral mediator to address police misconduct complaints.

The Forest Preserves of Cook County seal is pictured on a podium during a July 2023 board meeting. [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line]

The Forest Preserves of Cook County have begun to take advantage of millions of dollars in new revenue stemming from a property tax levy increase authorized by voters last fall.

The forest preserve district is using the additional funds to make headway on projects and initiatives that were previously constrained by budgetary tightness, district spokesperson Carl Vogel told The Daily Line. 

Advocates that make up a coalition supporting Bring Chicago Home rallied in the lobby of City Hall Thursday ahead of the hearing on the proposal. [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line] 

Though the city has floated a marginal rate structure and at least two exemptions for the Bring Chicago Home proposal, a coalition of groups pushing for the real estate transfer tax increase are still set on a flat tax.

Bring Chicago Home proposes to raise the real estate transfer tax by 1.9 percent on property sales over $1 million and use the new revenue to fund affordable housing and services for people experiencing housing instability.  

The city activated its Heat Watch program in response to extreme temperatures Friday, and the county medical examiner’s office is celebrating an award for organ and tissue donation.

Advocates that make up a coalition supporting Bring Chicago Home rallied in the lobby of City Hall Thursday ahead of the hearing on the proposal. [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line] 

Alderpersons largely voiced support Thursday during a hearing on Bring Chicago Home, the proposal to raise the real estate transfer tax on property sales over $1 million and use that new revenue to fund affordable housing and services for people experiencing housing instability. 

The subject matter hearing was held during a meeting of the City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate. Alderpersons who spoke overwhelmingly supported the tax hike as a means to fund homelessness solutions. The policy would need to be approved by Chicago voters via referendum before it could become law. 

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi addresses the County Board of Commissioners during a mid-year budget hearing Wednesday. [Livestream]

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi told county commissioners his expectations for hiring throughout the rest of the year and answered questions about recent property tax bill delays during a mid-year budget hearing Wednesday.

The City Council will hold a hearing on a policy proposal to raise funds to provide housing and other services for homeless residents, and the county’s preliminary budget gap will grow following agreements with some labor unions representing county workers.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart speaks at a news conference in Springfield in support of carjacking legislation in 2022. [Ben Szalinski]

During a mid-year budget hearing Tuesday, Cook County commissioners heard from the county sheriff about the decrease in certain instances of crime in Chicago’s River North neighborhood as a result of the office’s presence but also about the office’s ongoing hiring difficulties.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s remarks to the County Finance Committee were among multiple presentations made by county agencies and departments Tuesday, the first of two days of mid-year budget hearings. 

Cook County experienced a record number of overdose deaths from opioids last year, and the county’s environment department is celebrating an award for its unique recycling plant created largely through federal relief funding.

Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33) is pictured during a City Council meeting in May 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Health and Human Relations heard from local policy advocates and from officials in three other cities during a subject matter hearing on Treatment Not Trauma, the policy proposal aimed at providing better resources for residents experiencing mental health crises and reducing the need for armed police responses to mental health-related calls. 

County lawmakers will hold their first day of a two-day slate of preliminary budget hearings, and the city's special events department has announced details for the upcoming annual air and water show.

Alderpersons and advocates held a news conference last week to introduce an ordinance that would expand paid leave. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

Alderpersons last week introduced proposals that would create a permanent guaranteed basic income program, expand paid leave for Chicagoans and create a new Office of Contracting Equity. 

A City Council committee will hold a hearing on a proposed policy framework to more compassionately respond to mental health crisis calls, and Cook County property tax bills are on track to be late for another year in a row.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners meets July 20, 2023. [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line]

A proposal for a property tax relief program for properties affected by storm damage and a measure to protect access to translated voting materials for non-English speakers were introduced during the Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday.

The board also gave final approval to legislation allowing employee mental health leave, changes to the human rights code and changes to the selection process for inspectors general.