Federal COVID-19 grant funding set for City Council approval after week of criticism over police spending 

The City Council is poised to approve an ordinance that would carry over $68 million in federal COVID-19 grant funds from 2020 and allocate additional pandemic-related federal grant money for this year to be used on rental assistance and vaccination programs.  

The city’s allocation of federal grant funds has proven a contentious topic during the past week as aldermen and residents have scrutinized Mayor Lori Lightfoot for putting $281 million of the $1.2 billion the city received from the March 2020 CARES Act toward Chicago Police Department personnel during the first few months of the pandemic.