CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL 10.30.24

• Date: October 30, 2024
• Type: Video
• Length: 3:37:32
• Topic: City Council
• Video: YouTube
• Transcript: Machine transcription, 28,665 words (text)
• Mayor: Brandon Johnson

Description

Mayor Johnson presides over a meeting of the Chicago City Council.

Transcript

0:01 Good morning. The council will come to the order. Please take a quorum roll call. Madam Clerk. The quorum is now open. The quorum is now open. Please use your e-device. The quorum is now open. Raise your hand if you need support.

1:32 I will now call on those who have not used the e-device for a voice vote. Alderman Hopkins. Not present. Alderman Hall. Present Alderman Beal. Present Alderman, or also Alderwoman Gutierrez. Not present Alderwoman Coleman.

2:03 Not present Alderman Moore. Present Alderman Curtis. Present Alderman Tito Lopez. Present Alderman. Alderperson Fuentes? Present. Alderman Burnett? Present. Alderman Wagaspak? Present. Alderman Conway? Conway, present.

2:40 Alderman Ramirez Rosa? Not present. Alderman Mitt? Present. Alderman Sposado? Rosado is present. Alderman Gardner. Gardner is present. Alderwoman Clay. Not present. Alderwoman Silverstein. Not present. Your mayor, we have a quorum.

3:11 Very well. Thank you very much, Madam Clerk. There are how many are present? I can't see. There are 44 present. There are 44 present. Thank you. We do have a quorum. There are, okay, no alders who have requested to participate remotely. Very well. Let's stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands,

3:45 one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Now, please remain standing for our invocation, the Director of Renew Chicago, Mr. Mike Rolfe. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. In behalf of Renew Chicago and Park Community Church and Chicago Sunday Evening Club, I'm delighted to be here. Please know that every day, Monday through Saturday at noontime, we have a Zoom call. We pray for the city, and you all are being prayed for regularly.

4:20 So let's pray. Father, this is a big day for the city. And a budget address is a reflection of our values, so we are grateful for the work of the mayor and his team that put together the budget. I ask for an anointing of him from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet that he will present boldly and he will present clearly the direction that they would like to take the city.

4:51 we ask for a spirit of wisdom and discernment for the council that they may be fully, fully engaged, and that please just control their minds, bend their wheels to your purposes and to your glory and for the good of our people and for the callings that they have taken to build a good and great city. Father, we're mindful next week. We have another important week in our nation's history that a spirit of tranquility will rule.

5:23 We may not know, but it certainly is within your control, so you know the man or the woman that you have in store to be our next president. So regardless, let's have a spirit of peace and just remind ourselves the truth about this country, and we respond with gratitude. And as we move into November, our lives should be marked with gratitude. And whether we call our providence, whether we call him Messiah or Allah or Yahweh

5:56 or those whose faith is known to you alone, Lord. We just ask for grateful hearts. And for those of us who follow Jesus, we should be especially reminded because we know that you did a work that we could not have done ourselves, and our only response can be gratitude. On all these things we pray, amen. Amen. Please, you may be seated.

6:42 This is the portion of the meeting for public comments, Mr. Clerk. The council will now begin the public comment period, which is limited to a maximum of 30 minutes. Each speaker is limited to three minutes. Speakers cannot yield or transfer their time to another speaker. Any written comments that have been submitted will be posted and made available for automatic review. Our first speaker today is Mona McAleese.

7:18 Hello, can you hear me now? Yes, we can hear you. Good morning. Thank you. Good morning. Are you ready? Please, you may commence. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you. I am sure you would agree with the statement to deny an individual of their First Amendment right would be a violation of fundamental public policy. My job as a citizen is to bring to you the problem. And as a governmental body, it is your job to solve it. My concern is this. Scientology has what is called safe pointing. They have been doing this for

7:56 decades and now it seems to be a normal way of doing business. This normalization extends directly to the weaponization of CPD. There are OIG investigations right now in your city pertaining to this inappropriate relationship. There are other cases in several states that will expose them for what they are doing the rico case human trafficking child sexual abuse and exploitation fair gaming harassment and labor abuse cases they are working themselves through the court

8:31 there is a case in your city right now in fact today that goes against a first amendment demonstrator if this goes to trial god forbid it will give a black eye to your city they don't want their horrors exposed. This is P. Diddy, Epstein, and Nassar on steroids. Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. This is behind the scenes. A 12-year-old is counseling a grown man. This is standard procedure. These words are spoken to the grown man locked in a

9:03 room with a child, and I quote, while we cannot guarantee you that the matters revealed in this list will be held forever secret we can promise you faithfully that no part of what your answer is will be given to the police or to the state no Scientologist will ever bear witness against you in court here's some actual questions and as I said I quote Thank you.

9:33 just lost my paper sorry have you committed a crime how went where give details have you ever done anything you don't want me to know have you masturbated have you smothered a baby i know those are cringeworthy i'm sorry sadly a child must know what these words mean and they have to define explain and show what the words mean during their training even like the masturbation all sessions or audio and video recorded, I'm asking you, please question your relationship or your loyalty

10:09 to this abusing, family-destroying cult. Saying that, being in a cult for adults is perfectly legal, and it is a choice, but kids cannot consent. Thank you, and I yield back my time. Thank you very much for your comments. Our next speaker is Jody Wiedeker.

10:39 Good morning. Can you hear me? Good morning. Yes, we can. Good morning, Mayor Johnson and Chicago City Council. My name is Jody Whitaker, and I'm speaking on behalf of the Chicago Alliance for Animals, more than 3,000 members. But I am also speaking for millions of people who want to end the brutal suffering of beautiful, wild, fur-bearing animals and stave off the dangers of confining thousands of animals to tight, contaminated spaces where viruses can thrive. I'm going to read a few quotes from a May 2022 New York Times article titled,

11:10 The Michigan Meek Mystery. How did an interspecies outbreak unfold? In late September of 2020, captive meek on a farm in Michigan suddenly fell ill. They stopped eating, struggled to breathe, and bled from the nose, according to a report from the World Organization for Animal Health. 2,000 animals died. Laboratory testing soon confirmed that the meek were infected with the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dispatched a team of outbreak investigators who collaborated with other agencies to swab mink, farm workers, and a menagerie of

11:46 other animals from rats to raccoons to determine how the virus had spread. We tried to leave no stone unturned, said Dr. Casey Barton-Berhabers, who directs the CDC's One Health Office. Last month, the CDC confirmed that four Michigan residents, including two farm employees, had been infected with the same unique coronavirus variant that was found in the mink. Since the early days of the pandemic, when the coronavirus tore through fur farms, scientists have worried that mink might become a long-term reservoir for the virus and a potential source of new variants.

12:22 Today, coronavirus infections have been detected in mink on 18 American farms, the most recent in Wisconsin in February. Even as Congress considers a ban on mink farming, there is still no national system for proactive surveillance on mink farms, which are not required to report cases to federal authorities. And officials have not released much information about the outbreak investigations they have concluded. Some of those details are reported here for the first time. Together, the secrecy and spotty surveillance make it difficult to determine

12:55 how much of a risk Nink Farms pose, scientists say. And it threatens to leave experts blind to the emergence of worrisome new variants that could spill back into humans, extending the pandemic. As you just heard, these risks are very real and we're seeing disturbing trends in our neighboring states of Michigan and Wisconsin. So thank you to the 21 co-sponsors who support O2023-2983. Thank you all for your time and consideration and I hope you will all work together to pass this common-sense measure as soon as possible

13:28 so our great city can play a part in preventing future pandemics. Thank you very much for your time today. Thank you very much for your comments. Our next speaker is Johnny Mohamed. Good morning. Good morning. My name is Johnny J.C. Mohamed, and I am grateful, happy, and humble to be given the opportunity to speak at this morning's City Council hearing.

14:03 The mayor and the city council has a serious and sacred responsibility to manage the finances of this city. But when we look back at the city's current financial predicament, it has become all too apparent that over the decades, individuals occupying these positions have not respected It... this responsibility in a manner that provides this city with the physical health that it requires for its residents. The city's greatest resources are its residents,

14:35 and managing our resources in a way that invests in individuals, families, and communities will inevitably contribute to the long-term physical health of this city. But in order to do that, you, our public officials, must not be too reluctant, too hesitant, or too timid to tax the rich and the wealthy of this city. We need bold, courageous leadership that will defend the interests of struggling, poor, and working class people of the city of Chicago.

15:11 We need expanded mental health services. We must have concrete and comprehensive solutions for our homeless population. And our youth programs and services should be of the highest priority because our young people represent the future promise of this city. We need a budget that creates millions of jobs and create and increase wages for those who continue to be on the sidelines of the Chicago economy.

15:41 We need a city budget that invests in our public schools and our underserved communities in a manner that ends the systemic inequality in our tax system by making corporations pay their fair share and makes this city once again safe, decent, and affordable place to live in. Thank you. Thank you very much for your comments. Our next speaker is Christiana Powell.

16:16 Good morning. should i wait until the mayor comes back because my address is to him so please stop thank you for stopping that clock you you can you can continue your comments please that is not fair the clock

16:46 should be stopped put back at three minutes the mayor the head of this council the leader of this city that i have come to address has stepped off for whatever reason for whatever reason and that i am in this i'm being disrespected as a resident and a citizen of the city of chicago who pays taxes and votes so i'm gonna wait i'm gonna wait because i will not be disrespected

17:24 As pro tem, I can listen to your public comment. Thank you. Please continue with your public comments. Thank you.

18:07 The body cannot receive anything unless it first comes from the head and flows down. The body does not tell the head what to do. And if the head is not present, then the body will become discombobulated in its choices, its decisions, and in its standing. So, Mayor Johnson, I voted for you.

18:42 Please respect my vote. Respect this council, even though I am being disrespected.

19:21 Trust me, the God I serve is guiding me right now. Therefore, I stand on what he tells me to do, which is stand still. Thank you very much for your comments. Our next speaker is Will Tansman.

20:12 Our next speaker is Will Tansman. Would you like to go to the next speaker? Let's go to the next speaker, please. Our next speaker is George Blakemore.

21:04 our next speaker is George Blakemore point of order Alderman Lopez thank you madam president why is the sergeant at arms hand on the microphone while mr. Blakemore is trying to speak not sure Alderman now what you have please get away from me do they know it's his turn can we please turn the mic on for mr.

21:45 Blakemore up there? Can we please have order upstairs? We're trying to get the mic on for Mr. Blakemore. Okay. Let's go to the next speaker, please, and then we'll go back to Mr. Blakemore.

22:25 He seems to be not going to the microphone. Our next speaker is Mary Baggett. Our next speaker is Mary Baggett. If you guys could just bear with us for one second, it looks like they're trying

23:29 restore order up there to ensure that all the people that are signed up to speak can speak. Just bear with us for one moment let's take a 10-minute

24:05 recess while we work out the technical issues upstairs

27:31 feet up on the... Thank you now.

33:36 All right, the meeting will come back to order. The meeting will come back to order. Mr. Clerk will pick up where we left off in public comments before I took a moment. Our next speaker this morning is Will Tansman. This meeting will come back to order, please. Alders, could you please return to your spots? The public that is here witnessing today, could you please return to your seats?

34:08 this meeting will come back to order Mr. Clerk Our next speaker this morning is Will Tansman. Good morning. Good morning. My name is Will Tansman. I serve as Executive Director of the People's Lobby, a grassroots organization with members across the Chicago region who fight together for racial, economic, and environmental justice.

34:38 For decades, our previous city leaders gave tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy, invested in downtown, while taking money out of schools and social services and low-income and working-class neighborhoods. We see the results in our underfunded schools, encampments of homeless people, struggling public transit system, and more. And this doesn't make people or businesses want to move to or stay in our great city. We are grateful to the mayor and the city council for taking some initial steps to reverse this inequity. We appreciate Mayor Johnson's work to reopen mental health clinics, invest in affordable housing, and push for more funding for schools.

35:15 As federal COVID relief dollars run out, I know this is going to be a challenging budget. But our city needs to invest more rather than less and build on the progress that has begun. We need to reject cuts to essential public services and identify new revenue sources that are as progressive as possible given the limits of the city's revenue-raising powers. Some options include pushing the huge elite universities with multi-billion dollar endowments to agree to payments in lieu of taxes, establishing a fee on vacant properties, increasing hotel taxes, increasing taxes on airplane fuel,

35:48 school, reestablishing a corporate head tax, and taking money from TIFs. And if we need to raise other taxes, I'd rather pay a bit more for the public services we need than to see further cuts devastate our city services. And we need to fight for longer-term progressive revenue sources that may require action by other levels of government. We want to see the city expand funding for affordable housing, schools, mental health clinics, shelters for both new arrivals and long-term homeless people, non-police public safety solutions, enforcement of workers' rights, public funding of elections, green infrastructure,

36:21 and more. Only by investing in Chicago can our incredible city follow through on its promise and potential to be a city for all of its residents, a city that prioritizes poor and working people, and not just the rich and powerful. Thank you. Thank you very much for your comments. Our next speaker this morning is George Blakemore. Honorable Mayor Brandon Johnson, I would like to, I know you got a heavy load with the Honorable Mayor.

36:54 Brandon Johnson, before when you left, perhaps it was an emergency and you did leave when someone was speaking. Now we're glad to see you are back. I'm asking you, will you allow the young lady to speak? She came specifically to address some issues with you. So could you do that? Anyway, the big picture here is a one-party system.

37:24 They're all Democrats. All Democrats. And it is a corrupt machine here. It just didn't come here with Brandon Johnson. It's been here. These budgets never been balanced. Now, you want to beat up on him? Mayor David, get all that money when he's sold out the streets. Get all that money. Only thing, we just have a new overseer. But just go with that Democratic machine.

37:57 It just go from one hog pen to another. It's time for us to change this. Good citizen, change it. Go red. Go red. Well, did you know Trump's a racist? Well, both of those political parties are racist. So what we got, I'm leaving one plantation on my way to another plantation. But my ultimate aim is to be a free black man in America.

38:30 I want my people to open up banks and have economic development. I want them to have excellent schools. We cannot depend on these political hacks, especially these Democrats. Go Red! Go Red! Go Red! Now, Honorable, Honorable, Honorable Brandon Johnson, will you do this? Let the lady come back because she thinks so much of you. She came down to address you. And I'm sure that it had to be an emergency for you to leave.

39:04 You just wouldn't walk away from a citizen. No, you wouldn't. He wouldn't. She voted for you. So I know good well that it had to be an emergency, but now you're back, and you now are the head. You're running this plantation now. Call her back. Call her back. Thank you. Come back, young lady. Come back to speak. Oh, come back, young lady.

39:35 Okay. No, I'm for the people. Come back, young lady. Come back, young lady. All right. Thank you. Come back, young lady. Thank you very much for your comments. Our next speaker is... Just a second, Mr. Clerk. Before we... Let's proceed with the names in order. And for the young woman who wanted to speak to me directly, we'll give some consideration to that but let's continue on our next speaker is Mary Baggett

40:14 good afternoon everyone good morning I'm coming to this microphone because I want to address Walter Burnett for being disrespectful to our leadership basically telling her she don't oversee the surrounding area she's a president that sits on our local advisory council slash CAC board And she is the president of that surrounding area. And for you to tell her she don't oversee the area, she just only oversee Horner, that's disrespectful.

40:46 Horner sits through that development from Washington to Randolph to Madison and anything else in that area. You need to learn how to respect the people. And not only that, that $7 billion project that's coming and y'all want CHA land, she's the president of that. And the only way it could get addressed or approved, they got to come to us first. We are a board of 14. So when you say she don't run nothing, you're wrong. You need to learn how to be respectful to the people.

41:17 And also this contract steering, y'all need to stop that too. Stopping people from working in your ward, black contractors, all of that. You need to stop it in the 27th Ward. You're very disrespectful and it needs to end. Your vote come from us as people. Y'all look to these other nationalities like they're the only ones out here. But us as blacks put votes in too. So respect us, Walter Burnett. And I'm saying that loud and clear so you can hear me. I'm not done with you.

41:48 I'm coming for you. And that's it and that's all. So I'm done with that and that Mayor Brandon Johnson. I am a 30-year city employee who retired. June of 2022. You all did not pay us for COVID. You all did not pay us our retro pay when we retired. They had the audacity to say July 1st was when the contract was signed and that we didn't qualify for COVID pay. But y'all let somebody come in, got hired within six months,

42:24 receive COVID pay, receive retro pay, all of that. I took sick during that time with COVID and also I worked hard for 30 years for the city. I fought with the union, Local 1001. I deserve my retro pay and I deserve my COVID pay. I got sick during that time and it's many of us that are retired that took sick and did not receive our pay. You need to look into that. A lot of these people that denied us,

42:55 they all got these deals under the table with positions to stop us from receiving our pay as retirees. We want our pay. Thank you very much for your comments. Our next speaker is Janet M. C.A. Thank you, City Council. I have a poem called Wake Up, Open Our Eyes and Ears.

43:27 I can remember when I was a little girl and I felt safe in my neighborhood place. I never thought about being shot at, child traffic. We didn't worry about stuff like that. I remember as kids we had a healthy fear of those in authority. We had community uniformity. All the kids understood that when the streetlights came on, racing home was the norm. Most of us had a mom and dad at home. We rode bikes and played outside before computers and cell phones. Wake up. Open our eyes and ears.

44:00 Our eyes and ears close to the devastation and evil that's being exposed. The hopelessness, the foolishness. Our youth running and gunning, dreams being snuffed out in senseless violence, and many leaders we trust to respond in silence. Parents' hearts are aching, losing their children senselessly to other children misbehaving, dreams being snuffed out. Wake up, open our eyes and ears. Everyone with our skin ain't our friend. I'm not saying we should deny who we are as a people,

44:32 but blind faith in man has been lethal. We need to see the truth, and in it we'll find the proof. It's like we believe everything some leaders say. Believe what they do. That's where their real fruit will be on display. There are those who say that we as a people can't secede in this country. Putting it bluntly, I believe some of them think we're stupid. We are told how oppressed and suppressed and will always be excluded. What's not said is that we are descendants of people who suffered, endured, and persevered.

45:06 We are strong people who are resilient, innovative, brilliant. Wake up, open your eyes and ears. We have multitudes of successful black men and women, families who have worked hard and succeeded in the face of the race card. All this racism rhetoric is wearing thin. There will always be racist people. God calls this sin. Families and communities are unhealthy. Morality in our pockets are running on empty. We have what's full is our caskets and jails. Why do we keep trusting government to get us out of this hell?

45:39 Wake up, open our eyes and ears. How did we get here? Has trying to remove God from society worked for us? Maybe we need to return to a godly fear. Some in power have been blinded by evil and lost their way. And the cost has been more than we citizens want to pay. What do we have to lose? Maybe it's time we put God first. We have not seen the worst. I long for those days when children playing outside safely was not an illusion.

46:09 When education, working hard, and perseverance, and moral was our economic solution. Wake up, open our eyes and ears to this evil stuff. Citizens, when are we going to say, enough is enough? Praise him. Thank you very much for your comments. Our next speaker is Tawalu Stewart.

46:41 Hello, Mayor Johnson. I have one thing I want to say to you. How you doing, Mayor Johnson? My name is Suwani. And I want to know, why did you give all the migrants all the fun and people out here suffering with their kids, homeless, like me? I am disabled. I cannot pay my rent. The landlord is trying to evict me out of my house with my kids. I've been calling down here telling complaints about what's going on in my building People been getting staff, everything in my building I have two disabled kids

47:13 And I'm very struggling to pay my rent And I've been making complaints about the building All I get, clothes, clothes, case is closed, case is closed I can't get no help to get out the building I've been talking to Annette Taylor about what's going on in the building I cannot get no help to get out that building with my kids I'm living around drugs head, crack head with my kids, and I have two disabled kids. I don't understand you.

47:44 Then you gave the migrants all their funds, and they walk around up and down King Drive selling stuff when other people need stuff, too. I don't understand you. You gave them that fund. They over there selling drugs and everything over there on King Drive. They over there stealing that stores and everything, stealing that stores that we need in the community. you. You sitting up and gave them migrants all their fun with people sleeping on the streets. You want for that. You need some help.

48:25 Thank you very much for your comments. Our next speaker is Sister Saqqia S. Muhammad. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. I would just like to say good afternoon, I think it is, to Mr. Mr. Mayor, my brother, and to the city council family and the media down there.

48:56 I want to get right to the point because I want to direct my first concern to the committee. on special events, cultural affairs, and recreation. We have a big problem at Ellis Park Fieldhouse on 35th and Cottage Grove, which is in my community that I have lived in for 40 years. Very beautiful facility, but we're going into our seventh week, and we do not have an instructor for a chair exercise for our seniors

49:29 or chair aerobics for our seniors or line dancing for our seniors. Here's the biggest problem. There is not an attendant to come in and mop up puddles of water in the women's locker room when we come out of the pool from water aerobics that I take three times a week. Now, you know that's a suit. Park District needs to look at that very careful.

50:01 There is one in the evening, and she wants more hours. Why you can't give her those hours during the daytime when us 70- and 80-year-old seniors have to hop around in puddles of water in the ladies' locker room? That is a concern that is really bothering me. The second thing is the Healthy Home Ordinance. Please, Mr. Mayor, I want you and all the people that have signed on to it to discuss the need for the rental inspectors program that all residents need.

50:47 This is an ordinance that will allow inspectors to come in every three years and inspect these apartments so it won't be any problems. Our residents will not have to complain all the time. If the aldermen that are not passing or not supporting this bill, they should consider supporting this ordinance. It's very necessary, very, very necessary. So think about it. It is the Chicago Healthy Home Program.

51:19 Please, those aldermen that are not supporting it, please think about putting your heads together because we've got new housing that's coming up, and we want to keep new housing together, and we want the tenants and residents to be happy in their homes without any problems. Thank you, my brother. May Allah continue to bless you. Thank you. Thank you very much for your comments. So leave from the body to allow Ms. Christiana Powell to give her a public comment so that she can give it directly to me. Ms. Christina Powell, you have three minutes.

51:54 Christiana. Grand rising to everyone. Good morning. Thank you, Mayor Johnson, the mayor that I voted for, for giving me this opportunity to address you, the head of this body, directly. My name is Christiana Powell. And, yeah, I got something to say. We can talk about problems all day long, but we've got to get to the solutions. And I'm here to tell you definitely there's an open secret taking place in this city.

52:25 Any area that has been labeled gentrified, that's an open secret. What that word means is you pick out your property and come and get it. But it seems like they're only coming after what is owned by black folks on the south side of Chicago, in Woodlawn, and in South Shore. So now, if you all want to look at me and say, okay, she joined the group or whatever, let me take you back to August the 16th, when 30 Cook County Sheriff's officers was kicking in my door, 64 years old, a veteran of the United States Army, okay, kicking in my door to steal my property because the bank committed fraud.

53:08 What? I fought them for seven years. And for the last two years, I've had to be a pro se litigant, which means for those who don't understand. I had to study federal law and I had to study state law because I had to go in and fight myself because I couldn't get no help. They're stealing, not they. You all are allowing it to happen because it's an open secret. You know what's going on.

53:39 They're stealing the property that is generational wealth, inheritance, and legacy of black people. My family owned that property since 1950. They want to say that I went into foreclosure because I couldn't pay my mortgage? I need to show you my bank statement. I could have paid my mortgage for the next three years and never put another dime in the bank. I am a black woman who ain't broke. But they want to think we all are.

54:10 And I'm here to tell you, thus say the Lord of hosts. I miss nothing. I sleep and I do not slumber. Touch not my anointed, do no harm to my prophet. And you've done that to both of them, to my anointed prophet. You put your hands on me. you put your hands on my promised land you allowed him to steal it now you got to answer to God and he is somebody that you don't want to deal with because he knows what has been taking place

54:40 what you've done in the dark is now going to come to the light I am here to inform you I am on assignment you will be exposed if you so much as compromised your spiritual beliefs Thank you very much for your comments. Your Honor, there are no further speakers who have timely signed up for the public comment period. That completes our public comments at this time. Madam Clerk, communications is what's next.

55:14 The following communications from the Honorable Brandon Johnson, Mayor, who was filed in my office on October 25, 2024, at 3.57 p.m. Dear Clerk Valencia, please be advised that at the City Council meeting of October 30, 2024, during that portion of the meeting devoted to a communications from the Mayor, see Rule 3, I will be delivering the Mayor's budget address for the City of Chicago budget for 2025. Please include this letter to your agenda for that portion of the above reference City Council meeting.

55:44 Very truly yours, Brandon Johnson, Mayor. Well, very well. Thank you very much, Madam Clerk. Clerk, we're grateful that our city treasurer has also joined us. Let's please give a nice round of applause for our clerk as well as our treasurer. The chair recognizes Alderman Beal. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, before you give your remarks on the budget, I would like to ask, are budget

56:19 books ready at the proceeding of this meeting? That is correct. So they will be available? Budget books will be made available. 201A? All the room numbers around here. Just give me a second.

56:50 We'll confirm that location for you. Okay, Mr. President, I just want to go on the record, as well as a lot of my colleagues, that the budget address was postponed over two weeks, and we have a $1.1 billion deficit. And if books are not readily available, I move that we push budget briefings back to November 13th. I don't believe that move or that – is that a move? Yes, it is. What's a move?

57:20 That is a motion to move if books are not readily available. I just want to make sure that we're talking about a motion and not a move. We'll make sure that the budget as being presented today, that that will be made available as it always has been. Very well.

57:51 Already. I've just said that the budget book, as well as electronically, all of it will be made available today. Okay? Thank you. You're welcome. How's everybody doing today? All right. It's good. It's a little parliamentary dynamics. And then there's more. The chair recognizes Alder Gutierrez.

58:22 Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to make sure that I'm recorded as present. Thank you. There are a number of individuals that have walked in after attendance is taken. We'll make sure that Gutierrez is added. Were there other Alders? I believe Alder Robinson, was he recorded? I believe Alderman Hopkins is now here. Alderwoman Clay is here. Alderwoman Coleman is here. I know that Alderwoman Silverstein has been in the room, though she is not currently present.

58:53 I believe that everything is pristine and in order. like the Johnson's household was on Saturday mornings. To the Vice Mayor Burnett, Chairwoman Dow, Chairman Irvin, Chairwoman Harris, President Pro Temp Nugent, to members of the City Council and to all of the residents that have assembled today, good morning. When I stood up here last year, we had just closed a $538 million budget gap.

59:25 We faced that challenge head-on and focused on the closing of that gap while also investing in people of this amazing city. We made tremendous strides in critical investments in youth employment and housing, mental health and community safety. We also forecasted, though, that in 2025 we would face a deficit of this magnitude, $986 million. The choices we made to present a balanced budget have certainly been sobering.

59:58 And as a city, we are constrained by our legacy pensions and our debt costs. These past debt challenges our budget and our ability to invest in the great city that we all love. Debt's that were created by repeated decisions to kick the can down the road when tough choices presented themselves. Those so-called tough choices at the time included closing 50 of our public schools.

1:00:32 14 of our mental health clinics were shuttered in order to cut costs. The Department of the Environment was eradicated to cut costs. I was in North Lawndale when schools were being shut down, and the families in that community desperately cried for another pathway forward. I was in Bronzeville, I was in Roseland, in my own community in Austin when these services were cut and people begged this body to do right by them.

1:01:04 The parking meters sold, Chicago Skyway sold off to balance the budgets. Our pension funds were ignored, and the city did not fulfill its obligations to working people. And the city deferred paying principal on its debt service year after year after year after year. These short-sighted decisions have had serious long-term consequences. Let me give you an example of one of them.

1:01:36 Ten years ago, our city pensions were projected to go bankrupt in this decade. From 2004 to 2014, the city did not do enough. They deposited an average of $442 million each year to the pension funds, which was less than half than what was required. Because of that, we are now obligated to contribute $2.7 billion to the city's four pension funds, and we will contribute an additional $2.9 billion in the 2025 budget.

1:02:09 When I ran for office, I promised to tell people the truth and that I would not support programs that we did not have funds for. And I'm going to stick to that promise. We will pay the city's past and present bills, and we will not leave a legacy of unpaid bills to the next generation so that by the time my daughter is 18 years old and she gets to finally vote for me in the next eight years, I don't want her to go to that polling booth and say, Dad, how come you didn't do something today to fix the problem so she doesn't inherit the crisis?

1:02:43 In spite of the past mistakes, our administration, though, we've been able to fulfill the promises that I made to Chicago and deliver for the people of Chicago, and we did it in a fiscally responsible way. It turns out that you can invest in people. It turns out that you can invest into the core values of what makes us this incredible city and do it eloquently and do it responsibly. We invested in our city's future by increasing the number of young people hired through the One Summer Chicago program.

1:03:13 We hired a total of almost 28,000 young people, which is nearly an 8,000 increase since I've been sworn in. And through One Summer Chicago, we were able to make sure that young people could gain professional experience and real paying jobs and a vision for their future. Here's one specific example, though, that I'm very proud of. the General Labor Training Program. We work with the City Department of Human Resources and the Department of Streets and Sanitation to partner with Chicago Public Schools

1:03:44 and Local 1001 to develop and implement what we call a General Labor Training Program. This 12-week on-the-job training opportunity. provided 70 CPS graduating students with job skills. Participants achieved union bidder rights. Union bidder rights during the program, and upon successful completion, they were offered the opportunity to bid on placement for laborer vacancies. Fifty-five of the 70 general laborer trainees were hired for full time,

1:04:19 and they are working for the city of Chicago today. In fact, we have one of our newest city employees that's here today. Jaquia Brown is here with us today. Jaquia was hired directly from the trainee program and is an example of how job opportunity can change the career trajectory of our city's young people. And under my leadership, Chicago has become the most pro-worker city in America.

1:04:56 This year, we enacted the most expansive paid leave statute for a major city. The impact of this legislation will be felt by over one million workers, effectively doubling the amount of paid leave available. Workers now have significantly more time, more time to spend with their families, personal health needs, and of course to care for their loved ones. Additionally, we enacted the One Fair Wage Ordinance with the support of a coalition of partners, including community advocates from the One Fair Wage Coalition and women employed.

1:05:29 Together we eliminated the subminimum wage for over 60,000 tip workers. This reform boosts the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans, primarily women of color, and supports small businesses so that it encouraged people to get back into the restaurant and hospitality industries. And under my leadership, we became a safer city. We invested in programs and strategies that are proven to foster safe communities, and the results speak for themselves. Since I've been in office, since I've been in office,

1:06:01 we have seen a decrease in homicides, shootings, robberies, vehicular hijackings, criminal sexual assaults. Look, it's a lot of work to be done, but we are moving in the right direction. I promised that during my first term that I would promote 200 new detectives to the Chicago Police Department. Well, we have achieved that. And we did it without increasing the number of sworn officers. And today I'm proud that by the end of the year, that goal will be fully realized.

1:06:31 And promoting these brave men and women to be detectives has already begun to pay dividends. Right now, we have a homicide clearance rate of nearly 54%. And again, while we have more work to do, you all, it is the highest since 2015. So I do want to thank our Superintendent Snelling and the brave women and men of the Chicago Police Department for facilitating hard work to make sure that this city continues to make progress. I also want to recognize our Mayor's Office of Community Safety, their impressive efforts to holistically address the root causes of violence, but the common goal of keeping our city safe.

1:07:22 In addition, thank you, in addition to keeping Chicago safe, we delivered on a long sought after promise to expand our mental health system. We are reopening a public mental health clinic in Roseland. We are layering mental health services into the lower west side CDPH clinic in Pilsen.

1:07:54 We have integrated, and right on the west side of Chicago, we've integrated mental health services at Legler Library. It's the full force of government, you all. It's the vision for a better, stronger, safer Chicago. We have made the monumental transition, though, from a co-responder police response to a full public health response for 911 calls regarding mental health crises. Now,

1:08:30 this work would not have been possible without the strong partnership and the leadership of my friend and ally and my sister, Alderwoman Rodriguez-Sanchez. You know, this Mental Health System Expansion Ordinance, it was designed and was created with a working group that allowed us to make these new investments.

1:09:00 But for me, this work to expand mental health access, it is personal. I often talk about my brother Leon, who is my hero. He struggled with mental illness and died addicted and unhoused. And I believe that a real commitment to mental health and treating people rather than criminalizing these individuals who are experiencing trauma, that allows for lives to be extended on this earth. I'm proud of the vital work of our CARE team that they have done, responding to families and individuals in need.

1:09:33 And we get them the help that they deserve. And I want to take a moment to acknowledge Tiffany Patton Burnside, the Senior Director of Crisis Services. You know, Tiffany has been such an integral part of the CARE leadership team and a passionate advocate for her team. And this program, from the start, Tiffany has shepherded. And so thank you, Tiffany, and to your entire team. The CARE team has addressed over 1,500 cases and counting.

1:10:14 Under my leadership, we supported our residents in their time of need. You know, after the West Side was hit with an intense flood, my administration through the Chicago Department of Housing, we secured an additional $5 million for flood assistance repair program. This program aims to support up to 200 homeowners whose homes were damaged significantly. during the torrential rains in July of 2023, and I'm proud to say that we are still moving full steam ahead with these repairs.

1:10:45 This week, Faye Cobbins, a proud resident of the best side, the west side of Chicago, will have work done in her house. And in the past year, we have made it clear to Chicago that we are open for business, you all. We have worked hand-in-hand with government, with government agencies, the state, the county, World Business Chicago, and the business community to usher in more than $20 billion of new investments in the city of Chicago. And this includes SciQuantum, which will anchor the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park,

1:11:18 which is that whole campus that will transform the southeast side of Chicago. That place has been left vacant for the last 30-something years. And under my administration, we finally deliver something for the southeast side of Chicago. The LaSalle Street investments that will convert four underutilized offices into mixed-use buildings and create more than 1,000 new apartments, affordable homes downtown.

1:11:52 We broke ground in Google's new Chicago headquarters at the Thompson Center. We celebrated the one-year anniversary since the opening of the Temporary Bally's Temporary Casino site, which currently employs over 450 residents, and we began construction on that $1.7 billion permanent casino project. We also celebrated renovations to the J.P. Morgan Chase Building, O'Hare's global expansion, and countless other projects. These investments demonstrate the deep confidence that business has in Chicago and in my administration.

1:12:26 This past year, we demonstrated what it means to be a global city. This summer we showed the world why Chicago is genuinely the greatest freaking city in the world when we hosted the best Democratic National Convention, brought over $370 million to this city. Even the press said if it goes well, it won't be because of him, but if it goes bad, it will be because of him. Well, guess what? It went well. The city of Chicago made a promise to the world that we would show up for the world.

1:12:59 So I'm here to say, yes, sometimes even the press gets it wrong. But in addition to an historic, not all the time, be easy. In addition to an historic DNC, we hosted major sporting events and countless music events and festivals, and we generated more than $800 million in the economic impact of our city. After a successful summer, I got a chance to travel to London to continue to strengthen Chicago's global presence

1:13:31 and drive new opportunities for investments and economic growth and international collaboration, this trip resulted in another pro-Chicago decision being made. We're Perks, a company that will provide access to affordable health care services to workers at not-for-profits and micro-businesses. They have chosen to locate its first U.S. headquarters right here in Chicago. And in partnership with Choose Chicago, the MPEA, we've seen Chicago solidify its status as the best city in the U.S. for conventions with 82 total meetings at the

1:14:03 McCormick Place so far this year with more than one million attendees, creating numerous job opportunities and having long-lasting impact on the vitality of this city. And just last month we hosted the International Manufacturing Technology Show, one of the largest trade shows in the world at the McCormick Place, attracting nearly 90,000 attendees. This year we passed the Cut the Tape initiative to fast-track commercial and residential development in Chicago to get more shovels in the ground so that we can get more cranes in the sky, because

1:14:34 for too long we've heard that it is too difficult to build in Chicago. We have heard that the city needs to get out of its own way and reduce the hurdles that developers and contractors face when they're trying to develop housing and commercial properties. And that is why last year I signed that executive order, requiring 14 city departments to evaluate their development process and propose solutions that will remove the bottleneck and to accelerate review and approval timelines. And we're seeing the impact of this already.

1:15:07 Developments are moving faster and the pipeline is growing. For example, the time that it takes for a project to get to the plan commission is down 40 percent from 131 days to 79 days. And I want to thank the broad coalition of development leaders that work with my team to contribute to this plan. The many developers, the architects, contractors, attorneys, lenders, advocates, and so many more. We kicked off this historic investment in our neighborhoods with our people and for our people when we passed the $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond, the largest economic development bond and investment for housing and economic development in the history of Chicago.

1:15:55 This administration continues to make history for the people of this city. And this bond is a game changer for our city. $625 million. $625 million going directly into small businesses, community assets that are ultimately the anchor of the neighborhoods across this city. We've already used this bond to invest in local businesses like the Austin Hope Center.

1:16:26 This facility will be anchored by Lurie Children's Clinic. The building will also be occupied by Thresholds, who will provide behavioral health care to people experiencing serious mental illness. people who are experiencing homelessness and living on the streets on the west side and by investing in spaces like the Austin Hope Center my administration seeks to continue to close gaps currently that exist in our health care system and particularly neighborhoods like Austin

1:16:57 the west side will never be forgotten again ever in addition to investing in our business development and our commercial real estate The other $625 million will go towards building more affordable homes. I'm so tired of black people being kicked out of this city. The Negro Removal Act has been decades of negligence for our people.

1:17:31 We're going to keep building and preserving and repairing homes across this city. That is what the people voted for, and that's what the people deserve, and that's what they're going to get in this budget. That's why we turned over vacant land, so that developers can build affordable homes in the 20th Ward, in the 9th Ward, in the 24th Ward. And additionally, my administration utilized the Once-in-a-Lifetime American Rescue Plan Act.

1:18:02 Well, we relaunched the city's ARPA spending plan in June of this year after careful evaluation of each initiative. And I'm proud to say that we've doubled the emergency fund for gender-based violent survivors to $10 million, providing immediate, unrestricted cash assistance for those seeking safety and stability. Thank you, Stephanie Coleman. Thank you, Jeanette Taylor. Thank you, Maria Hatton, for seeing black women. And with ARPA, we also provided vital maternal health care through the expansion of the CDPH's Family Connections Program.

1:18:45 We also were supporting artists and arts organizations in need because the pandemic wreaked havoc on the art industry and were providing much-needed grant assistance to small businesses and not-for-profits to help sustain their workforce and to build up their capacity post-pandemic in every investment that we made last year, from youth employment, workforce development, mental health, community safety, housing and homelessness demonstrates our commitment to investing in people. And I want it to be very clear. I have to be clear.

1:19:18 In this year's budget, we are going to build on the progress that we have made. Even in a difficult budget year, we will not stop investing in our city. The people who make the city thrive, we will continue to invest in them. And over the course of the past year, My community engagement team worked to actively engage residents during this budget process, and we held four public roundtables, one exclusively for young people across the city. We need to hear directly from people so that we can make sure that their priorities are in this budget, and we listen to the needs of the community, and we use the robust community engagement process

1:19:52 to guide us when we develop this budget, just as we did in 2024. And in this year's budget, we will continue to invest in people. We will continue to invest in communities and empower everyone to be able to live up to their greatest potential. And that is why in this investment, in this budget, a $52 million investment will again be prioritized for our young people. We're going to increase the number of paid summer jobs for our city's youth program by an additional 2,000 positions, preparing our young people for the workforce tomorrow.

1:20:25 And in collaboration with Alderwoman Fuentes, we will build upon the foundation set this year by expanding the number of peacekeeper positions within the one summer Chicago while also enhancing the MyShi, MyFuture website and the mobile application to incorporate the tools and resources of the Peace Book. The Peace Book program is not only about hiring our young people, but it's about enabling them to directly contribute to the safety of our city.

1:20:58 I want to thank Alderwoman Fuentes and DFSS Commissioner Brandi Kanazi for their tireless effort, the teamwork that they put in to make sure that components of the peace book become a reality. And in fact, the 2025 budget, the work of Alderwoman Fuentes and the work of Commissioner Kanazi will make sure that the components of the peace book finally make it in its totality in the 2025 budget. In addition to the One Summer Chicago, city departments will once again host student interns and trainees, creating a pathway for our young people to find careers in public service.

1:21:39 And through an investment of $40 million in this budget, we will see our capacity to care for the unhoused in the city expand by more than doubling the number of beds within the city's shelter network from 3,000 to 6,800 beds. Through our partnership with the state of Illinois, our vision for a one-shelter system where anyone that needs help can find assistance will begin to take shape.

1:22:10 With an investment of $30 million, we will continue to move households from temporary homeless shelters or unsheltered locations into stable housing through the city's rapid rehousing program and accelerating our moving events. Let me say this other note about this one-shelter system. When our city was under attack by the governor of Texas, intentionally targeting our city, This city rose above the pettiness of nasty politics.

1:22:42 Not only did we show up for new arrivals, we created a system that will benefit all of Chicago. When 70% of Chicagoans who are unhoused are black, we need to ensure that we create systems of care to respond to the people who need the help the most. Despite what Buddy did at the border, it did not stop us from moving forward. That's the strength of this city. That's the power of a welcoming city. That's the power of an administration that understands that we are not going to allow people to separate and to divide us.

1:23:13 We're going to come out stronger, and we have, with a single shelter system that works for everyone. But we know that sheltering the unhoused is not enough. We have to promote conditions for making housing more affordable, and we need new financing tools to meet the scale of the problem. And in 2025, my administration is committed to the launch of the Green Social Housing, an innovative and proven form of affordable mixed-income housing development

1:23:47 that does not rely on federal subsidies. Not only does this model offer a way to grow the pie, it increases the number of affordable homes that the city can create without relying upon state and federal subsidies. And because it is structured like a revolving loan program By recycling people every few years, it allows for new projects to go online. This program will be funded with $135 million from the Housing and Economic Development Bond,

1:24:18 making it the largest social housing revolving loan fund in the entire country. Chicago, we're doing it again. Through this program, we aim to develop over 600 affordable and sustainable rental units for Chicagoans. We can do it over the next five years. Additionally, in the years ahead, we will continue to advance the once-in-a-generation modernization project known as O'Hare 21, starting with the construction of Satellite Concourse 1.

1:24:51 The 19-gate expansion is already underway. This will create over 3,800 construction jobs and numerous contracting opportunities for diverse firms of all sizes. This administration will continue to work to strengthen the mental health network of those in this city. By building upon reopening the three mental health clinics in 2025, we will continue to build capacity with those clinics, as well as hiring behavioral health telecommunicators within our Office of Emergency Management and Communications

1:25:24 to ensure that calls are triaged appropriately with care dedicated to those who are in need. With over $100 million in investments in community violence prevention in 2025, we will continue our work, you all, to provide direct investments to communities that are being plagued by violence. The Mayor's Office of Community Safety awarded several key community organizations with grants that are ultimately leading efforts to decrease violence and increase investments in the areas of these sections of the city that need it the most.

1:25:58 And Team Work Inglewood will lead our efforts in Inglewood. The historic West Side, NAACP, will lead the efforts in Austin. And Beyond the Ball in Little Village will work hand-in-hand with my administration to make place-based and people-based investments through the People's Plan for Community Safety. In addition, under the direction of our new Director of Reentry, Joseph Mapp, the Office of Reentry, will lead this administration's efforts to reintegrate those who are returning home from incarceration so that they can experience support and they can actually

1:26:30 have some dignity. 2025 will see over $5 million awarded to community-based organizations who are on the front line doing this work. And this year we saw the reestablishment of the city's Department of the Environment. You know, we cannot afford to have cuts to key areas of our

1:27:02 government that would put our planet in jeopardy. And despite the spending, spending the bulk of this year staffing up the department, Under the leadership of our Chief Sustainability Officer, Angela Tovar, she achieved so much. That's right, give it up for Angela Tovar. So beginning in January, the city will celebrate a major milestone by transitioning its operations

1:27:33 to 100% renewable electricity, thanks to a contract with Constellation Energy to power all city-owned buildings, streetlights, Midway and O'Hare airports, Jardine, and all of the other 400-plus city facilities, And we are not resting just simply on these achievements alone. Today, I'm happy to announce that through the partnership with the Civic Consulting Alliance, in 2025, we will further deliver on our plan to reconstitute the Department of the Environment through the delivery of a transition plan, laying out the steps to shift from more regulatory authority

1:28:07 under the chief sustainability officer so that we can take on our full responsibility to combat global climate change while healing the communities that have been burdened by environmental justice. Twenty percent of the world's fresh water is in our front yard, you all. Global population shift will continue to happen, whether it's through policies or whether it's through climate change. The city of Chicago can hold another million people in it. We've got to return people who have been forced out, and we've got to make sure we open our arms for those who will seek refuge here. And we are a global city with world-class attractions and festivals attended by people from around the world.

1:28:49 You know, the budget invests $3 million additional funding dollars to enhance the cultural and special events hosted by our Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. With an increase of $1 million to our arts grants program and D-CASE's operational budget, over $9 million in funding will go towards supporting artists and cultural organizations to foster creative initiatives and to contribute to the artistic and cultural vitality this city is known for, you all.

1:29:22 We have accomplished so much this year. The investments that we have made are a down payment of implementing the values I was elected to uphold. And because we cannot talk about making lasting change in our city without investing in young people, we can't talk about long transformational change in our city without talking about housing and mental health and community safety. These are the investments that will change this city. When I ran for mayor, I said the city's fiscal position was much worse than what was being forecast.

1:29:55 And within months of taking office, our budget team led by Annette Guzman issued a revised forecast that, in fact, predicted that we would face a budget gap close to more than a billion dollars, or at least a billion dollars. And we are facing that challenge head on. We will continue to invest in our priorities so that we can build a future that we all want for a better, stronger, safer Chicago. We will not neglect our long-term obligations. We will pay our debt and our pensions. And we will continue to embrace business and economic development,

1:30:26 but we have to work with less resources right now. But we really have to raise more revenue. Let me pause for a moment to be very clear. I stand here today before you with the absolute willingness to invest in Chicagoans and the willingness to make hard decisions so that we can be fiscally responsible, to balance a budget. We can do that. We can do that. We can hold the truth of investment and being responsible.

1:31:00 They can exist. Meeting our obligations today so that we have the resources for the future, so that we can continue to invest in our people, that's the smart approach. The city has, for far too many administrations, have governed with this veneer of fiscal responsibility, when in fact they weren't. But this is not our path today. When we released our budget forecast this year, we were faced with one of the largest budget gaps in the city.

1:31:33 Anticipating the depth of our fiscal challenge, my financial team began working on ways to lower the cost through budgetary efficiencies while also identifying ways to increase our revenues. And therefore, we made very smart, timely adjustments to our expenditures. My budget team asked every department to cut their budget by 3%. Not only did our departments meet that challenge, but many of them went beyond. Because they understand that for Chicago, we can provide a more efficient government

1:32:04 while still meeting the needs of our residents. And City Council, you all also stepped up. Thank you. Cutting your budgets by 3% and, of course, the mayor's office. We have partners with our city clerk and our city treasurer. We also cut vacancies where they weren't mission critical. What does cutting vacancies mean to Chicagoans? It means that positions that are empty today because someone retired or moved to a different job will not be filled. It means that jobs we have planned to fill will be eliminated.

1:32:37 It means that the city's workforce will have to operate more effectively. We will have to have more lean services to face this challenge. Any large organization has waste in the city of Chicago is no exception. Our departments drilled down to determine where there's waste or overlap. We asked ourselves what can be done in a better way. For these measures alone, we saved $300 million. To put that into perspective, those savings on their own represent an amount larger than the general fund budget of the entire city of Rockford.

1:33:15 And these savings are on top of the $200 million already achieved in the 2024 budget through very prudent fiscal practices that were implemented by my budget team. And while some have called for extreme austerity measures, such as mass layoffs to address our fiscal gap, these are not solutions that align with our values. As a city, it is our responsibility to provide services to our residents, to business community, and to countless visitors who come here. Mass layoffs would hamper our ability to drive economic development

1:33:49 and protect our most vulnerable, the people who provide and rely upon health care. I want to take a moment to spell out to everyone what Chicago would look like if we only use cuts to our city's workforce to solve the budget gap. We would need to reduce our workforce by another 4,000 positions, equating to a 17% reduction in the city's workforce. We would have to reduce our police force by 2,500 personnel, or just under 20%.

1:34:19 We would be forced to reduce our fire department by over 600 personnel, dramatically lowering our ability to respond to fires and provide life-saving medical care, Our streets would see garbage collection and recycling and rat abatement services and tree trimming completely limited and less frequent as our sanitation department will be reduced by 150 additional positions and the maintenance and repair of our physical assets would be further hampered as our facilities team would see an over 200 personnel cut.

1:34:54 These cuts threaten to make our neighborhoods, our residents, and our workers less safe. I want to be clear. We will not have layoffs in this budget, and we will still raise more revenue to ensure that we can keep up with our investments. So here's what we did. We took a good look at our TIF funds. My administration has spent the last year examining every TIF district and worked with our departments to remove projects that are no longer viable while still reserving funding.

1:35:30 for projects that will benefit our overall city. In doing so, we have been able to ensure that every single dollar not used for projects will be returned to all of the taxing bodies throughout the entire county. Here's what this exercise allows for us to do. Our TIF surplus will be $570 million. With $131 million being surplus to the city, over $300 million surplus to Chicago Public Schools, record amounts to other taxing bodies including the Park District, City Colleges, Chicago Public Libraries, Cook County, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

1:36:07 Here's why that's important for our community colleges. Since I've been in office, 11%, 12% increase in enrollment in our city colleges. The number one subgroup of individuals who are enrolling in our city colleges are young black men. So the billions of dollars of investments that are coming, we're creating the workforce that can benefit from those investments.

1:36:38 In total, this budget includes over $400 million in additional revenue, including enhancements to our existing revenue streams. And through the leadership of the city's Corporation Council, we are cracking down on these bad actors and corporations that owe the city money, pursuing another $30 million through the efforts of our law department. In terms of revenue enhancements, my administration worked diligently to find these inefficient areas in our tax and licensing rates that will raise revenue for the city without overburdening Chicagoans,

1:37:11 such as removing the retail concession portion of the bag tax to ensure that the full seven cents goes towards the city revenue. In other words, your mayor is making sure we get all of our money. And here's what I've said from the start. I'm committed to protecting security, the retirement security, and upholding our pension obligations. In this budget, we are adhering to our policy to make a contribution that ensures our unfunded liabilities will not grow further.

1:37:44 This fiscally prudent policy is projected to save the city almost $3 billion in the future pension contributions so that we can ensure that our children are not saddled with these long deferred costs and our workers can be confident that pensions that they spent their careers earning will be there at retirement. Our city workers have their pension contributions deducted from every paycheck, and they never miss or defer a deposit in that system. We must uphold our obligations as well.

1:38:15 And when we invest in our retirees and our workers, it keeps our communities vibrant and alive. In Austin, the neighborhood where my wife and I are raising our family, the local economy would collapse if we did not have pensioneers holding up our zip code. And that is why, that is why, to ensure that we don't lay people off, to ensure that we hold our obligations, to make sure that we continue to make sure that we invest in housing and youth employment and mental health and safety.

1:38:46 That is why this budget currently includes a property tax increase of $300 million to fund and keep our commitment to fund not just our pension contributions, but to fund the future of our city. This is tough. It is. It is something that I grappled with for weeks and weeks. We didn't make this decision lightly. I directed my budget team to look at all the options at closing this budget gap.

1:39:16 And when it came down to either mass layoffs, curbing vital city services, or an increase in property taxes, I would certainly much rather tax the rich, but I did have to make the choice to increase our property taxes. And I understand that today I'm asking families to lean in yet again and do a little bit more in order to make sure that their neighbors are not laid off and to make sure that we don't have to cut vital city services. I know that across the city, working families make tough decisions every day.

1:39:50 God knows that I do. And whether it's the cost of child care, paying utilities, certainly I know the challenge of paying utilities. And even going grocery shopping and buying food for our families, I know adding to those tough choices is not easy. But this was the best option that I have at this time. It allows us to move forward in a sustainable way. This is the start of a multi-year process that will finally get Chicago's finances back on track.

1:40:21 It is important to realize that one of the reasons why we have made some of these decisions is because our ability to raise revenue that we ultimately need to fund the essential mission of city government, it is limited. The city of Chicago cannot do this alone. the largest revenue sources are either controlled or limited at the state level. Whether it's personal income tax or corporate income tax, sale tax policies, these are controlled by the state. We need to continue to work with the state and the county in a truly collaborative matter to make our revenue streams more equitable.

1:41:00 And I have no doubt that with the strong partnership of the state and the county that we can do that together. Our North Star is to make the city's taxes more equitable. This goal is shared by many, if not most, of the people in this room, as well as the majority of city residents. You know, we are not the first to take up this fight. When Governor Pritzker led the good and just effort to create a graduated income tax in Illinois, the federal government and most states have graduated income tax because it is the more fair and equitable method.

1:41:33 higher income earners who have more ability to pay Should do and pay more and lower income earners should have to pay less. It's very simple. The city of Chicago voters, we said yes to that. Our black and brown residents resoundingly voted in the affirmative for that graduated income tax. But unfortunately, a handful of ultra rich corporate interests lobbied against the referendum and it was defeated. This year, Chicago residents voted on Bring Chicago Home, which would have provided much-needed funds to support programming and operations to reduce homelessness in the city.

1:42:12 The referendum would have authorized an increase to the transfer tax with properties over $1 million when they're being sold. The referendum even included an inflator so that the $1 million threshold will grow over time, because we did not want the homes of just average working people in Chicago to eventually be subject to the tax just because of inflation. And once again, once again, the efforts of the interests of the ultra-rich incorporations

1:42:44 funded a smear campaign which sowed fear and misunderstanding to the electorate. If that referendum had passed, the city would have collected an average of $100 million more in revenues to fund the critical needs of our unhoused residents? Do you know that the number of beds that we actually need to really transform our single shelter system, the number of beds that we need, the amount that prevented us from meeting that number was the exact amount of money we would have raised through Bring Chicago Home.

1:43:18 And lastly, we did discuss extensively in the 2025 budget forecast As Chicago's revenues from the personal property revenue tax dropped precipitously this year due to the expiration in a state law that now allows for corporations to claim unlimited losses against their positive income gains, resulting in a decline of over one hundred and fifty million dollars since twenty twenty three. So yet again, yet again, the interests of corporations continue to get favored over working people.

1:43:52 And this budget proposal reflects the reality of our fiscal constraints. We will continue, of course, though, the work with our partners, all of them, our labor partners, business partners, city council members and other stakeholders to tackle this challenge and to make sure that we have distributed taxes so that the burden is not on working people and we can make sure that the entities that can do more, that they pay their fair share. So I welcome, I do, additional revenue ideas that allow us to make our obligations

1:44:23 and make critical investments and to protect our residents. My administration takes seriously our duty to make sure our revenue collection is equitable and balanced as possible. And that is why we passed an ordinance to greatly expand debt relief programs. This year, we permanently codify the city's Clear Path Relief Program and Administrative Debt Relief Program to ensure pathway for relief from fee and fine debt for those individuals who are least able to shoulder it.

1:44:54 It is why under my administration we have expanded the utility billing relief program to three flats to further live out the goals of the program and provide much-needed relief to qualified homeowners. And that is why through our partnership with Alderman La Spada and Alderman Villegas, we will be implementing the Water Leak Relief Pilot Program to provide substantial financial relief to residents facing unexpected water bills due to these negligible underground water leaks.

1:45:28 And we aren't stopping there. Next year, we will be instituting another parking ticket amnesty program. The 2025 amnesty, which my administration worked on with Chairwoman Dow and Vice Mayor Burnett to develop, will allow residents to get clean of their city parking debt penalties while repaying the principal that they owe. With this proposed budget, we are balanced. But we're not just balanced. We are focused on delivering to the people of Chicago.

1:46:00 Thank you. We are making sure that we are providing working people of the city with support and services and opportunities that they need and that they deserve. We are building a government that truly works for the people because no longer will Chicago turn its back on those who are struggling with mental health issues. Instead, the city will lend a helping hand to them. No longer will the city of Chicago be dismissive about our young people and the children who are the future of this city. Instead, we are going to give them real jobs with a W-2 so that they can see opportunity and achieve success.

1:46:34 No longer will Chicago's neighborhoods be forgotten. We are going to make sure that residents are not only safe, that crime is ultimately solved. We are going to make sure that our neighborhoods flourish with more and more investments. No longer can Chicago and no longer will Chicago be a city where folks cannot afford a home. We are going to build. We are going to build. We are going to build and make sure that there is affordable housing for every single family who needs it. No more disinvestments. No more selling off our public assets. I am saying no to those bad habits and yes to the future of this city.

1:47:14 We are moving full steam ahead We are taking ownership of years of poor decisions That have left everyday Chicagoans behind And charting a new pathway forward That actually invests in our people We are upholding our promise to the people of Chicago To move forward, to move together To move forward with a brighter future The potential for Chicago is still endless

1:47:45 And I'm proud to stand before you today And say that we are not slowing down We will not be complacent. We will not turn our backs on the people of the greatest freaking city in the world. There is only one direction we're going, and that is full steam ahead. Now look, it's going to take all of us, all of us to tackle these challenges. The stuff that we've already done because we've done it together, we've already changed the course of this city.

1:48:19 This budget was made possible by the countless city workers and leaders and residents who informed this budget, guided us through these very difficult decisions, and supported this mission to invest in people. I want to thank our city department leaders, our commissioners, steadfastly serve our city. It greatly informed our budget process. I also want to thank this finance team. Annette Guzman is a bad black, shut your mouth.

1:49:18 You know, there's this belief, unfortunately, in the ether that black women, that black men can't count. That we don't know how to do the fiscal stuff, even though every single decision that we are making is because of what other people did. One more time, y'all don't even have to clap. I'm just talking to my sister.

1:49:53 Trust you. I come from a black woman. I go to bed and wake up to one. And I'm raising one. I'm always going to bet on a sister. Thank you. To our chief financial officer, Jill Jarowski. Thank you. I'm sorry, Jill.

1:50:25 She also, too, is a bad mother. Shut your, watch your mouth. And to our city comptroller, Chase. To the entire budget management team for their hard work. And, of course, I want to thank the residents who participated in the budget engagement roundtables and the meetings, voicing your concerns and your ideas. You are reflected in this budget. You are. It is my sincere belief that progress will not and cannot be made without the people of Chicago. And it is in the spirit of collaboration that we made tremendous gains in the first year of my administration.

1:50:59 We set our city on a path to true equity and promising to never leave behind black and brown communities. With this budget, we set the stage for continued progress for years, years to come. Let us continue on this path to make our city even greater. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. God bless you all. God bless the city of Chicago. Thank you.

1:51:55 This meeting will stand and recess for the next 10 minutes. It's Audubon Mitchell here. There you go. The chair recognizes Alderman Mitchell. I'm sorry, Madam Clerk, that's okay. We already done it. Thank you. Madam Clerk, please continue with communications.

1:52:26 Communications from his honor, the mayor, to the honorable, the city council, the city of Chicago. Ladies and gentlemen, request the budget director I transmit here with the fiscal year 2025 tax levy. Revealed with consideration, this ordinance would be appreciated. Very true, yours. Brandon Johnson, mayor, referred to the committee on finance. Ladies and gentlemen, request the budget director I transmit here the 2025 revenue ordinance that amends various titles of the Municipal Code. Your favorable consideration to this ordinance will be appreciated. Very true to yours, Brandon Johnson, Mayor, referred to the Committee on Finance. Ladies and gentlemen, the request of the Commissioner of Housing I transmit here with ordinances authorizing the issuance

1:52:58 and issuance of financial assistance for the Casa Yucatan Affordable Housing Development Project. Your favorable consideration to this ordinance will be appreciated. Very true to yours, Brandon Johnson, Mayor, referred to the Committee on Finance. Ladies and gentlemen, I transmit here the proposed 2025 budget recommendations. Your favorable consideration to this item will be appreciated. Very truly yours. Brandon Johnson, Mayor. Referred to the Committee on Budget and Government Operations. Ladies and gentlemen, at the request of the Budget Director, I transmit here with the resolution amending the salary resolution. Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated. Very truly yours. Brandon Johnson, Mayor. Referred to the Committee on Budget and Government Operations.

1:53:29 Ladies and gentlemen, at the request of the Corporation Council, I transmit here with the 2025 Municipal Code Corrections Ordinance. Your favorable consideration of this ordinance will be appreciated. Very truly yours. Brandon Johnson, Mayor. Referred to the Committee on Budget and Government Operations. Ladies and gentlemen, I request the Budget Director I transmit herewith the 2025 Management Ordinance that amends various titles of the Municipal Code. Your favor and consideration of this ordinance would be appreciated. Very true, your is Brandon Johnson, Mayor, for the Committee on Budget and Government Operations. Ladies and gentlemen, I request the Budget Director I transmit herewith an ordinance authorizing the execution of an intergovernmental agreement with the Chicago Transit Authority

1:54:00 and Cook County for the allocation of motor fuel tax funds. Your favor and consideration of this ordinance would be appreciated. Very true, your is Brandon Johnson, Mayor, for the Committee on Budget and Government Operations. Ladies and gentlemen, at the request of the Budget Director, I transmit here with an ordinance authorizing the allocation of motor fuel tax funds. Your bailout consideration of this ordinance will be appreciated. Very truly yours, Brandon Johnson, Mayor, for the Committee on Budget and Government Operations. Ladies and gentlemen, at the request of the Commissioner of Planning and Development, I transmit here with an ordinance authorizing the execution of an extended service agreement with local initiatives to support cooperation for the Corridor Manager Program.

1:54:31 Your bailout consideration of this ordinance will be appreciated. Very truly yours, Brandon Johnson, Mayor, for the Committee on Contract Oversight. Ladies and gentlemen, the request of the Commissioner of Planning and Development are transmitted here with an ordinance authorizing a Class 6B tax incentive for a property located at 455 North Ashland Avenue. For favorable consideration of this ordinance, we appreciate it. Verily, truly yours, Brandon Johnson, Mayor. For the Committee on Economic Capital and Technology Development. Ladies and gentlemen, the request of the Commissioner of Fleet and Facility Management are transmitted here with an ordinance authorizing the execution of a lease agreement with GH Chicago IL LLC.

1:55:02 Your favorable consideration of this ordinance, we appreciate it. Verily, truly yours, Brandon Johnson, Mayor. for the Committee on Housing and Real Estate. Ladies and gentlemen, the request of Commissioner Planning and Development I transmit herewith ordinances authorizing the sale of city-owned properties. Your payable consideration of these ordinances will be appreciated. Very truly yours, Brandon Johnson, Mayor, for the Committee on Housing and Real Estate. Ladies and gentlemen, I transmit herewith appointments to various special service areas. Your payable consideration of these appointments will be appreciated. Very truly yours, Brandon Johnson, Mayor, for the Committee on Economic, Capital, and Technology Development. Ladies and gentlemen, I transmit herewith appointments to the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.

1:55:33 Your family will consider these appointments to be appreciated. Very true, yours. Brandon Johnson, Mayor, for the Committee on Health and Human Relations. Ladies and gentlemen, I transfer your appointments to the Board of Health. Your family will consider these appointments to be appreciated. Very true, yours. Brandon Johnson, Mayor, for the Committee on Health and Human Relations. I, City Clerk Anna Valencia, hereby informed the City Council that a communication from Annette Guzman, budget director, was filed in my office regarding the estimated year 2025 aggregate property tax levy. I, City Clerk Valencia, also informed the City Council that all those matters which were considered by the City Council at the regular meeting held on October 9, 2024,

1:56:05 in which were required by statute to be published in book or pamphlet form or in one or more newspapers or published in pamphlet form on October 30, 2024, by being printed in full text and printed pamphlet copies of the journal proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago. I-City Clerk Valencia also informed the City Council that the ordinance were passed by the City Council on October 22, 2024, regarding the refunding of a general obligation sales tax securitization corporation bond Series 2024, which requested to be published in a special pamphlet form, was published in a special pamphlet form on October 29, 2024.

1:56:39 I-City Clerk Valencia also transmitted here with the following miscellaneous communications and reports requiring City Council action. Zoning reclassifications in particular areas would refer to the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards. Claims against the City of Chicago, which referred to the Committee on Finance. Recommendation by Commission on Chicago Landmarks for approval of technical amendment to Newport Avenue, Chicago Landmark District Boundaries, which referred to the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards. Recommendation by Commission on Chicago Landmarks for approval of permit application for demolish of non-contributing building at 906 West Fulton Street, which referred to the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards.

1:57:09 Your Honor, that concludes the reports and communications from the Mayor and other City officers. Very well, thank you. Now we have resolutions, but before we attend to those resolutions, we do have a couple of Alders that wish and have requested to make some acknowledgements. The first person is Alderwoman Harris. She wishes to make an acknowledgement regarding Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Chair recognizes Alderwoman Harris. Thank you. Today I'm really honored to have a few people here from my community who have experienced cancer in a real special way.

1:57:41 I want to acknowledge them first before I even start my remarks. Yolanda Godwin, breast cancer survivor, Mabel Wayne, Mrs. Mabel Wayne, and last but not least, Mrs. Mary Smith, all from the 8th Ward. and I want to thank these women despite what they've been through

1:58:12 they have still kept going and never stopped moving and it goes to show that cancer while you could have cancer it could not have you and they've been surviving wonderfully and I'm so proud of these women thank you all so much for being patient and sticking around with us all day long here so I appreciate you all and I just want the body to know who they are.

1:58:43 But my commercial is for breast cancer month to say, please get tested. Please get tested. Yolanda Godwin is the reason why I got tested after she went through her journey and I followed her every day and took her through her journey. I hadn't had a mammogram for five years. So in October, after going down through her journey, I decided to have a mammogram. And below, what did they find?

1:59:15 Something wonderful. So I got a gift from God. It was called cancer. And it was my gift because it then became a journey for me to tell people about how taking care of your body is so important. That journey took me to surgery and chemo and radiation. But it's so important that you catch it early enough so that you can survive cancer. It doesn't have to be a disease that takes you out. And I'll say that I was a fortunate one that it had metastasized

1:59:46 and had done some really other horrible things inside your body. So I beg you all to women to take care of your bodies, get your mammograms. For black women who have dense breasts, they now have these wonderful tests, I implore you to make sure that you use what's freely out there for you so that you can be here to take care of your loved ones, your children, your mothers, your fathers, your sisters, your brothers. And cancer does not have to be a death sentence. So to everybody here who has gone through it,

2:00:19 and I have several colleagues who have been through breast cancer with me down here at City Hall also, they should tell their story. But I beg women how important it is to get it so that I'm reiterating myself. I'm going to repeat myself a thousand times. You can be here. You can live. You can survive. Catch it early. Get it treated. And do exactly what your doctors tell you to do. If you do exactly what your doctors tell you to do, I'm five years out now, and so do what your doctors tell you to do.

2:00:52 I don't know how glad people are and I'm still here, but I'm still here. But thank you all, ladies, for being here with me to share this moment. I appreciate you all taking time out of your days to be here with us today. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. Thank you, Alderman Harris. I know that Alderman Robinson wishes to acknowledge HIV-AIDS Awareness Month.

2:01:22 Before I do that, though, I do want to thank the Alderman Harris for her bravery and her transparency and vulnerability. Recognizing October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an important part of the overall education, the continual education for our city. Breast cancer is a second leading cause of cancer. To women, over 3 million women across our country have battled and continue to battle this disease. We know that regular screenings, as Alderwoman Harris has already expressed,

2:01:56 health education are important tools to fight against, as well as provide you with better treatment for breast cancer. Early detection can lead to a 99% survival rate for those that are diagnosed with cancer. So we are still seeing those in underserved communities, though, those who are uninsured, and women in black and brown communities are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, and that's because of the lack of access to resources. So as we continue to lift up awareness during this month, let's continue to put our arms around our women.

2:02:31 You know, my mother unfortunately died at 50 years old, partly because of heart failure and breast cancer. So it's imperative that we continue to educate and motivate so that our women can live and thrive. So with that, the chair recognizes Alderman Lamont Robinson. Mayor, thank you very much. Let me first thank my friend and mentor, Alderman Michelle Harris, for sharing her story.

2:03:09 Because in this body, when we share our stories, Mayor, folks listen. And unfortunately, we have to continue to let folks know, particularly in the African-American community, how important our health is and what we have to do to fight cancer. And so, Audubon Harris, thank you for your steadfastness on this issue and hope that our sisters and brothers that are black and brown hear you and share the information that they've learned today to get tested,

2:03:54 Which moves me to something that is very dear to my heart, work that I have been fighting for in the Illinois General Assembly and now fighting in the city council. Rates of HIV are going down. Unfortunately, the African-American community still has high rates of HIV infections, particularly with our young folks.

2:04:31 Please continue. I want to thank our budget chair, Chairman Irvin, for asking the question, where are we putting our funding? We know that we have high rates of HIV in the African-American community, but where is that funding going? And so I thank my colleague for asking the question and making sure that funding is going to where it needs to be going,

2:05:08 and that's in black-led organizations that have been doing the work. And so Chairman Irvin, thank you for being an ally. Thank you for raising the question. And thank you for making sure that funding is going to, again, organizations that do the work. As we look at this epidemic, Mr. Mayor, we have to focus in on why we have these causes.

2:05:40 There are medications that stop this virus but if you have lack of housing if you have a lack of job then you're not focusing in on your health care and so as we look at HIV we have to look at the systemic causes and so as we prepare to make sure

2:06:14 that we usher a budget in the city council that Chicagoans can be proud of that we're not kicking the can down the road like previous administrations, Mr. Mayor. We need to make sure that, again, we're not only focusing in on HIV funding, but focusing in on the other issues that are attached. And that, again, is education. That, again, is housing. That, again,

2:06:47 is jobs. And so, Mr. Mayor, I thank you for allowing me this opportunity to speak to this issue. And I look forward to working with my colleagues and your budget staff to make sure that we're doing right by the citizens of the city of Chicago. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. And along with, you know, this body, this moment to recognize HIV AIDS Awareness Month, it's critical because the work to end this disease still continues.

2:07:21 Today there are more than 37 million people who are still living with HIV AIDS around the world. And this is due to the increase of educational campaigns and groundbreaking research in medicine has certainly been a way in which we can inform people about the transmission and the prevention of HIV-AIDS, but it does highlight the fact that we need better support and resources. But it is because of awareness campaigns like this.

2:07:52 Thank you, Alderman Robinson, this awareness that allows us to reach more people, particularly those who are most vulnerable and at risk. So the public in general can continue to fight to put an end to this deadly disease. So we'll continue to work to ensure that those families who need it the most of this virus can be defeated. So with that, I do wish to continue on with our resolutions. And with that, thank you both. And the chair recognizes Alderman Mitchell.

2:08:25 Mr. President, I move for the temporary suspension of the rules for the immediate consideration. Very well here. No objections. So we're ordered. Of course, with the time moving beyond the sort of the normal allotted time, our resolution of Chicago that we are honoring today, but we won't read through the entire resolution, It's a resolution that is designating the city of Chicago as a Purple Heart City.

2:08:56 And Alder Villegas helped bring this item before us today, and Alderman Villegas has asked that he would like to open, or do you prefer to close? All right, he prefers to close. Are there any members of the body that wish to speak to this resolution declaring the city of Chicago a Purple Heart City? Very well. The chair recognizes Alderman Raymond Lopez. Actually, Mr. President, good afternoon. I would actually request that the clerk spend a few minutes and read the resolution

2:09:30 in honor of the gentlemen who have given so much to this country. Very well. A resolution from his honor, the mayor, together with Alder Persons Villegas, Lopez, Chico, Vasquez, Silverstein, Irvin Gutierrez, Nugent, Haddon, Lawson, Robinson, Mitz, Clay, Hopkins, O'Shea, Gardner, Conway, Sposado, Fuentes, Cruz, Manahap and Worth, Moore, Harris, Yancey, Mosley, Dali, Rodriguez, Ramirez, Rosa, and the City Clerk Valencia

2:10:04 read as follows. Whereas the Purple Heart Medal was the first American service award or decoration made available to the common soldier and is specifically awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who have been wounded or paid the ultimate sacrifice in combat with the declared enemy of the United States of America. And whereas Illinois has lost over 30,000 of its brave sons and daughters in past conflicts with thousands more who have been wounded in action who carry the scars with them, including 1,789 Illinoisans who had never returned home from the Korean War and 2,936 veterans from Illinois who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War and are honored at the Vietnam

2:10:37 Veterans Memorial along the Chicago Riverwalk, and many more service members who are all still unaccounted for. And whereas it's the duty of the City of Chicago to honor the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country in both our words and our actions to remember the enduring courage and strength of their families. And whereas Chicago has a long-standing tradition of honoring the valor of those who have served in the United States Armed Forces, and the City remains committed to supporting its veteran community through services, events, and partnerships. And whereas the mission of the Military Order of the Purple Heart is to foster an environment of goodwill,

2:11:11 camaraderie among combat, wounded veterans, promote patriotism, support necessary legislative initiatives, and most importantly, provide service to all veterans and their families. And whereas the Military Order of the Purple Heart has established the Purple Heart Trail to create a symbolic and honorary system of roads, highways, bridges, and other monuments that give tribute to the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal, including 39 cities in Illinois, which are designated as Purple Heart cities. And whereas designating Chicago as a Purple Heart city acknowledges the city's profound respect for the sacrifices made by military personnel and their families

2:11:44 and demonstrates the city's commitment to recognize the bravery and selflessness of Purple Heart recipients, now there, for it be resolved that we, the mayor and the member of the city council of the city of Chicago, assembled this 30th day of October, 2024, proudly support the mission of the military order of the Purple Heart and now officially designate Chicago as a Purple Heart City to honor the sacrifices made by Purple Heart recipients in defense of our freedoms and reaffirm Chicago's commitment to recognizing and supporting the valor of those who have been wounded or lost in their lives in military service and be it further resolved that suitable copies of this resolution

2:12:16 be presented to the military order of the Purple Heart so the city of Chicago can be properly recognized as a Purple Heart City. Congratulations. Very well. Thank you, Madam Clerk. The chair recognizes Alderman David Moore. Thank you, Mr. President. I definitely stand in support of this resolution, as I already had added my name to it. And before I get to these gentlemen here, I just want to, in the memory of Robert Davis, who passed on last week, who was Commander Robert Davis, let me give him his right just

2:12:50 do, who was the commander of Dory Miller Post 915 before starting and then over the Blackwood Post, the Charles J. Blackwood Senior American Legion Post 800, who was very instrumental in making sure that veterans had the services that they need, but also instrumental in what What we started was the first Southside Memorial Day parade to recognize our veterans.

2:13:23 And it is so important to me when we talk about Chicago being a Purple Heart City, it's critical. As a son of a Vietnam veteran who beat into my head, always thank a veteran. The work you all have done and continue to do is just unmatched. And moreover, what Commander Robert Smith or Constance would say to me, Alderman, freedom ain't free. Freedom ain't free. And that's how he would say it.

2:13:53 And it's not free because you all stood on that wall. Many gave all, some, but some gave what? All. And for those ones that gave all, we remember. but for you all who come back here to know what was endured and what you went through, but also what you give back to other veterans who are struggling out there, making sure that they have the services that they need and their families. Sometimes after these veterans are gone is crucial to us.

2:14:25 So thank you for your service. Thank you for your commitment. And thank you for standing up on that wall for us. Some who do to this day may not appreciate it as much as others, but I myself, on behalf of the 17th Ward, we appreciate it. God bless you. Thank you. Chair recognizes Alderwoman Lee. Thank you, Mr. President. I, too, rise in support of this resolution. I want to first acknowledge my illustrious predecessor, too, well, a few ago.

2:15:01 Many of you know former Alderman Jim Balser. Please give him a round of applause as he's in the chambers today. Thank you for that, colleagues. Alderman Balser is a retired Marine. He served as a...

2:15:32 The city's Director of Veterans Affairs before he was then called upon to serve as Alderman of the 11th Ward for more than a decade, close to two. And he's still serving it today, I can tell you that for sure. He has not stopped for one moment serving those who have served this country. And for that, I'm ever grateful because every day that I get to be with you, Jim, I know that we're doing something positive for the men and women who have served this country. I'm especially honored to stand in support of this resolution

2:16:04 Designating Chicago as a Purple Heart City because of what that means The sacrifice that it's meant And for all of you that are in the box I'm sorry I have not had a chance to meet you yet But I will come shake your hand later I really want to thank you for your service And the sacrifices that you and your families have made And for those who have fallen in the service of this country You know, we in the 11th Ward honor those who have served in really great ways. We have active VFW. We have great McKinley Park American Legion posts, which is so active.

2:16:38 And we have multiple memorials and victory gardens. And every time there's an opportunity to celebrate and honor those who have served, our community shows up. So for that, you have our gratitude for all of your service and know that your sacrifices are not in vain. That we stand here on your shoulders and honor your sacrifices and appreciate you being here today and for all the work that's been done to designate Chicago Purple Heart City. Thank you. Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman Matt O'Shea.

2:17:09 Thank you, Mr. President. I, too, rise in support of this resolution. To all the men and women in the box, thank you for your service. I come from a family of many who have served before me, and this is important. This is very important. As my colleague Alderman Moore mentioned, freedom isn't free, and many of us in this room have lost friends or family that have served, allowing us the very freedom we enjoy today.

2:17:40 And lastly, to my former colleague Alderman Balser, Jim, you are a gentleman, and here you are still, long after retirement, working to support our veterans. I've enjoyed working with you over the years, supporting the Road Home Program, Rush University Medical Center, Jesse Brown, VA. Those are organizations I'm proud to partner with and try to support and will continue to do so. Thank you, sir, for being an example for all of us here.

2:18:11 Thank you. Thank you. The chair recognizes Audemant Curtis. Thank you, Mr. President. I too rise to support and honor this resolution. Before I talk about this resolution, as it relates to my uncle, I must thank Chairman Harris. I want to thank her for being a champion and fighting for breast cancer.

2:18:46 My mom passed away at the age of 33 from breast cancer. I was 11 years old, which brings me to my uncle, who two years ago I received his Purple Heart. My aunt gave it to me two years ago when he passed away because he called himself taking care of me. We always talked about it. He saved a woman in Vietnam.

2:19:18 I always looked up to him, and we always talked about the military. I always saw a lot of him. I saw his struggles. I saw government in those days. I saw government in those days bring him through some of those struggles. And that's why I fight so much. I see a couple of you guys now that come to my veterans events now, and I talk about it all the time, of the reason why I didn't go into the military, which I regretted today, but to fight every day of what –

2:20:11 Because I saw my uncle even lose his house, which wasn't, you know, right in the Austin neighborhood. Saw him lose his house and everything. And I don't feel if you made that ultimate sacrifice to give your life no matter what. When you made the ultimate sacrifice to go into the military to give your life, if you can pay your mortgage, fine. But if you can't, hey, you know what?

2:20:43 I wonder what it looked like for you would have been in the military saving that banker's parent's life and you had to take their house. Imagine that. And you had to make that decision to take their house. So, I honor you, and I will continue to honor what you do. So thank you so much, and thank you so much, Chairman Harris, and for everyone else that's

2:21:15 fighting cancer. My son right now is fighting cancer, and thank everyone for their perseverance. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman Irvin. Thank you, Mr. President. And, again, I want to thank the members of the council who have actually served our country and, again, stand in support of this resolution. One thing I will say is this. Growing up, I didn't really have an understanding of what a Purple Heart was

2:21:50 until one day a cousin of my mother's had Purple Heart license plates. And it's something that, you know, I'm really a numbers person, so it's something that I noticed. but never really understood it. And so I asked him, hey, what is that from? What does that mean? And he showed me a gash in his arm that basically he had a big chunk of his arm removed from being shot in Vietnam. And at that moment, it kind of clicked me like, man, this guy almost died for being in the military, for protecting us.

2:22:24 And so they put a different spin and perspective on what military service means and what it did, what it meant to our family and how we could have lost members of our family in these various conflicts and wars. So, again, Alderman Balser, we thank you for the advocacy and all of the gentlemen who are seated with you for your service and for what you all have done and what we have not seen. As a citizen, I have not served in the military, but I truly recognize and understand the sacrifices that all of you all have made to protect the very reason that we are here today,

2:23:07 to protect the freedoms that allow us to do what we're able to do today. So to our colleagues in the city council, to the gentleman in the box, thank you for your service. God bless you. Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman Conway. Thank you, Mr. President. Of course, Bryce, to support this. As a fellow veteran and still active reservist, it was great fun and thrilling to swap sea stories and bunker stories with you all this morning. Of course, I want to thank you all for everything you've done to defend freedom all over the world.

2:23:41 Alderman Balser was great swapping stories this morning. I showed him this bit of scar tissue I have in my elbow from having to crawl into a bunker in Afghanistan, and then he proceeded to tell me in great detail about getting shrapnel pulled out of his back in Vietnam. So significant raise on that, by the way. So I want to thank you all for the sacrifices that you've all made that led to your medal, and certainly appreciate the leadership of Alderman Balser as well as my two fellow members of the Veterans Caucus

2:24:12 and Alderman Villegas and Alderman Taliaferro, all of whom are proud veterans of the Department of the Navy. Thank you. Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman Beal. Thank you, Mr. President. I, too, rise to support this resolution and to thank you all for your service. I come from a military family. I had three uncles that served in the war, and my brother is a retired military living in Atlanta currently. So I do know the importance of the sacrifice that you all have made, and we don't take it lightly, and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

2:24:49 And to really expound on the importance of knowing about veterans, you all, we have started a veterans program in my ward. And I really implore everyone here to reach out because we found out that there's almost 400 veterans in just my ward who doesn't realize the resources that are available to them. And so we're going door to door and we're trying to find those those 400 veterans just to let them know that there are services that are there and that government is there to help them and they are not forgotten.

2:25:24 And so, you know, Alderman Balser was a champion. I don't think there was a city council meeting that we had where he did not stand up and say something about veterans here in the city of Chicago. And so we don't have that presence today in this council, but I'm going to tell you, your presence is still felt. You know, sitting beside you every day, you know, at city council, making sure you represented those who were not here, but you represented and you represented well. And so from the bottom of my heart, I just want to appreciate all of you all,

2:25:56 but especially you, Alderman Balser, because you're still active today. I know we still go to dinner once or twice a year, and we talk about old times, but your presence is still felt, and we're going to carry on, and we're going to make sure the veterans are never forgotten here in the city of Chicago. Thanks to all of you all and the help that you have done. Thank you so much, and God bless you. Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman Sposado. Thank you, Mr. President. I, too, support this resolution. I can't thank all you guys enough for what you did. My biggest regret in life, and I always say this,

2:26:28 every time we honor veterans, I never joined the military. I was post-Vietnam. I'm just guessing all the negativity and all the things that Vietnam guys went through, which I'll never understand why, because as we know, and Jim, I'm sure you, I don't think you said you were drafted, so these guys were drafted. Both of my grandfathers, multiple great-uncles were in. I lost a great-uncle in World War II. My grandfather was also a Purple Heart recipient, and also he was a police officer who was murdered in the line of duty, nothing to do with the veterans, but I just wanted to bring that up.

2:26:59 But just can't thank you guys enough for all you did. Once again, wish I would have joined you guys. Jim, we miss you, but Alderman Villegas picked up the baton for you and been doing a great job for all the leadership when it comes to veteran things with our group. Unfortunately, I think, is there two veterans in here? Three. We have three veterans. Okay, we only have three veterans left. I think there was one time we had seven or eight of you. But thanks for all you did. God bless you. God bless America. Thank you, Mr. President. You're welcome.

2:27:29 The chair recognizes Alderman Wagus back. Thank you, Mr. President. First, I want to thank Alderman Wagus for writing up this resolution. I think it's very important, not just for the people that we're recognizing today, and especially our former colleague Jim Balser and all the veterans here today, But for all our family members and friends who suffer every day or go through physical and mental difficulties with the injuries or the things that they saw while they served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan,

2:28:06 all those places that we send people and those that are often unheard, I think as the resolution so aptly states, we have to show our profound respect for you. and for the sacrifices you made in service of our country. And I know on behalf of my family, with the family members that have served, and those who have received Purple Hearts, that we feel greatly for everything that you did. So our heartfelt thanks to each one of you. And I would just say to add a little bit to this,

2:28:39 you know, if a colleague is looking for a place to put some right placing of funds for something that was done by a donor that wasn't a great thing, you could donate to the VFW, you could donate to the American Legion, or you could donate to an organization like the Montford Point Marines Veterans Association. Those are plenty of places in this city that someone could donate funds to to help make sure that we continue to support people in any way that we can

2:29:12 who have served our country. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman Napolitano. Thank you, Mr. President. I rise, too, in support of this resolution. I think we all have a common thread here. A lot of us have family that is very strong in the military and very proud to have served the country. I'd just like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the 41st Ward, from the city of Chicago, this country for stepping up and saying here I am send me

2:29:44 it's a great strong representation of your love your dedication what you've sacrificed for this country and for that great American flag that we have and I want to thank you on behalf of myself and my family my father passed not too long ago extremely extremely proud member of the United States Army thank you so much Thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman Gardner. Thank you, Mr. President. I, too, rise in support of this resolution.

2:30:18 Thank you, Chairman Villegas and each of the members of this body who have served in the military and our guests here today. It's pretty obvious you visited us on a very enthusiastic day. And as much divide that you may see or feel in this room, it's very humbling or should be humbling to know that we stand here, everybody in this room united and thanking you for your, sincerely thanking you for your service. You embody what it truly is to serve this country.

2:30:52 You've put your lives on the line, and I'm very grateful that you are able to see and hear the gratitude that we have. So thank you for all that you do, and Jim, thank you for everything that you continue to do for our veterans. Thank you. Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman Raymond Lopez. Thank you, Mr. President. I will be brief. I just wish to stand in support.

2:31:23 Take it easy. Take it easy. But as somebody who is the son, grandson, and great-grandson of Army veterans, and as someone whose great-grandfather received a Purple Heart, I know what it's like to have that burden in your family, because that is a medal that's not meant to be an honor, but it's a reminder of what you have put forward for the country that you so love, that we so love. So I thank you.

2:31:54 I thank Kevin for his dedication through your office, Mr. President, for the Office of Veterans Affairs, for continuously working for our veteran community here and to raise awareness through all our offices. And, Mr. President, if I may, whenever the motion is correct timing, give leave of the body so that our former colleague could speak before the council. Thank you. Are there any other orders that wish to speak before Alderman Villegas closes us out? Seeing no other hands, the chair recognizes Alderman Villegas.

2:32:28 Thank you, Mr. President. And Alderman Lopez, you beat me to that. That was my last request from the body. Since 2014, every August 7th, our country as a whole has recognized the Purple Heart Day. The day serves as a poignant reminder of the bravery, sacrifice, and selflessness of the men and women who have been wounded or killed in action while serving in the United States. And though the commemorative day is only 10 years old, the history of the Purple Heart goes back to the very beginning of our country.

2:32:59 From the badge of military merit, its predecessor and up to now over 2 million Purple Heart medals have been awarded. 320,000 in World War I, 1 million in World War II, including 2,700 Puerto Rican service members, mostly in the 65th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Voting Caneers. 118,000 in Korean War, 351,000 in the Vietnam War, 12,000 in the Afghanistan War, and 35,000 in the Iraq War. Here in the state of Illinois, we have had 30,000 of our brave sons and daughters that have made the ultimate sacrifice.

2:33:39 We will never forget them and their service. And this body made sure that we don't forget them because in the chambers here, we have a POW MIA chair to remind people that there are those that served our country but didn't make it back. Well, Purple Heart is more than just a medal. It's a dedication to those recipients, their families, and their friends that we would promote their legacy, highlight their unwavering patriotism, and push for legislation that benefits them. With those memories and stories in mind, it gives me great privilege to be here today to officially recognize Chicago as a Purple Heart City.

2:34:13 With this designation, the City of Chicago reaffirms our commitment to recognizing the bravery and selflessness of Purple Heart recipients. A copy of today's designation will be shared with the military order of the Purple Heart verifying Chicago's status as a Purple Heart city. To all those who have received a Purple Heart or are connected to a recipient, thank you. Thank you for your service and for giving everything you had for our great city and for our great country.

2:34:45 As mentioned before, I would ask leave of the body to allow our former Alderman James Balser, Private First Class USMC, to provide a couple of words for the body. Thank you very much. Leave has been granted. The chair recognizes former Alderman Jim Balser. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mayor. I appreciate that. You guys almost brought me to tears there a little bit. I appreciate everything, and my fellow Purple Heart veterans here, you guys are my friends.

2:35:21 A lot of you have known me for a lot of years. We did what was right for the country, and you did. The one guy at the end, Tomas, Korean War veteran, I want to acknowledge you. And sitting next to me here is Eldridge Johnson, who came up with the idea about the Purple Heart City.

2:35:57 I want to thank you and acknowledge that. Everyone else that I've known here, Mr. Blue, the rest. And remember my friend Bill Beavers, the alderman that just passed. Nicole, thank you for what you said. Good looking, Tony Beal. Pleasure sitting next to you for 17 years, me, you, and John. Again, Marty, Matt, Ray, thank everyone. Bill, down there, you're not a Marine, but you're still with the Navy.

2:36:30 I just want to acknowledge these individuals and everyone else who I serve with in the council. Seventeen years in here. I know people think it's rancorous and this and that, but we do a job, or I did, and you're doing the job now. And I want to thank you for that. Mayor, again, thank you. You helped us with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the funding, to redo the memorial, and I want to thank you again for what you've done and what you're doing here now. Thank you. Kevin Barzak, the Director of Veterans, thank you.

2:37:02 You've done a magnificent job, Kevin, with everything you've done. I really appreciate that, for making our city a Purple Heart City. I don't know if people know this. There are over 900 Purple Heart cities around the country. The Purple Heart is our oldest military decoration created by General Washington. There are over 300,000 Purple Hearts that were given out in Vietnam for wounds or death. Here's some staggering facts I looked at.

2:37:34 I know a lot about Vietnam, and I followed everything, but there were things that I looked at about when I was there at 18 years old. 33,103 18-year-olds were killed in Vietnam. Over 8,283 19-year-olds were killed in Vietnam. We all had something in common who were there when we were 18, and I used to bitch about it to my friends.

2:38:06 You could fight for the country, you could die for the country, but you couldn't vote. I never, ever forgot that. Never, not once, the importance of voting and what it meant. Finally, July 1st, 1971, they gave 20, 19, and 18-year-olds the right to vote. Again, you could die for the country, you could get wounded, but you couldn't participate in the government.

2:38:36 In closing, I just want to say again, thank you for everything you said about us up here and remembering that. And I joked around with telling him, oh, I got one Purple Heart. I have three of them, but one we were on a truck convoy, and they started mortaring us. And I had to bend down in the truck. We were trying to outrun the mortars. I had to bend down in the truck, and the next thing I know, I went, oh, boy, what happened? I got shrap metal in my rear end. and in my shoulder and my commanding officer had shrapnel in his is his arms it was like buckshot

2:39:14 but i never forgot that for a long time i never talked about it i never wanted to say anything about it you just kept your mouth shut and went about your business in life i got over that and just being here with everybody again means a lot to me and uh november 11th the city mayor am i I write the Veterans Day ceremony at Soldier Field, and I hope I'm right at this time, 11 a.m.? All right, good. I hope to see everybody there. And November 10th, Ray, what's November 10th?

2:39:45 Or Gil, what's November 10th? Best day on earth, Marine Corps birthday. Marine Corps birthday. I would have to say that. Everybody, again, thank you for what you've done. And, Mayor, thank you for staying here. And the aldermen and women that stayed here, thank you. and the people in the crowd, too. Thank you. For everything. And yes, Mr. Blakemore, I would not forget you. I would not forget you. Again, thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Alderman Balser. So thank you to all of the individuals who have joined us today. Thank you to all of the Alders who have brought this forward, Villegas and Conway.

2:40:41 Thank you, Alderman Talifaro, for your service as well. And, again, we have Alderman Balser and Eldridge Johnson, a family member that I just discovered today, Charlotte Johnson, his wife. I've got my cousins in the box, Charles Len Louder and Eden Puente, Barry Wright, Barry Wright, James Terry Blue, Mark Straud, Richard Rick Lumen, Maureen Lumen, and Thomas Lozado and Irma Cornier, which is the daughter of Thomas Lozado.

2:41:16 Thank you all for being here. It has been expressed. This Purple Heart Award, of course, is, you know, it's an award that reminds us of the real sacrifice that people make for not just this country, but the globe, wounded and having lost their lives during combat. Illinois has actually lost over 30,000 service women and men in past conflicts and thousands more who carry the scars of the combat every single day. Throughout Illinois and Chicago, we honor these women and men for their service and sacrifices,

2:41:51 supporting our veterans through services, events, and partnerships. That is why we are very proud to work with the Military Order of the Purple Heart and your efforts to build connections among the wounded veterans in combat while also ensuring that our veterans and families, particularly our families as well, of those who have lost access to many vital resources and services and opportunities the way Alderman Curtis has expressed. So today we reaffirm our commitment to recognizing and building alongside those who have bravely fought for the freedoms,

2:42:26 and we will continue to honor you for making these ultimate sacrifices. So today we certainly stand in full support the mission of the military order of the Purple Heart as we are now proudly an official designate of Chicago as a Purple Heart city. And so with that, Audubon Mitchell on a motion to approve the passage of this resolution with a rising vote. Mr. President, I move passage in the omnibus. And let's end a rising vote.

2:42:57 I'm sorry. I'm hearing no objections, so order. Let's stand with a rising vote. Too quick. It's okay. And we can clap, too. You're fine. Yes, yes, yes. Thank you very much. You all may be seated. Just before we get back to the regular order of business, Alderman Mitchell, and thank you all again for joining us in this box. You are free to stay or you are free to go.

2:43:29 You've earned it. If you want to see the rest of this meeting, you see Alderman Balser is not interested in staying. I don't blame you, Alderman. He said 15 years, 17 years is good enough for me. So as they clear the box, we'll just give them an opportunity to do that.

2:45:15 I'll speak to the mayor's office about that. They prepare all their time. We'll get you in. All right. Thank you very much. We will, before we return back to our order of business, I do think it's appropriate just to take a moment,

2:45:47 if you could just bear with me, if we could just have order in the chamber, just for a couple more seconds. All right. Thank you. I believe it's important that we just bring up at this moment the recent horrific shooting of a visibly Jewish member of the West Rogers Park Jewish community as he was on his way to synagogue, a place of worship and a place of sanctity. And the members of the Chicago Police Department, the shooter also attempted to harm.

2:46:23 And so the shooting of this visibly Jewish member as well as the shooting of a Chicago Police Department, or at least the attempt to harm, I want to reaffirm our support for the Jewish community and the ultimate condemnation of the anti-Semitism that is moving about in the city of Chicago and around the world. So, you have, as a community, my commitment, along with the superintendent,

2:46:58 that we will bring all of the necessary resources to bear to address this act or acts of violence and to ensure that justice is done to the fullest possible degree as the investigation continues. Let it be a constant reminder of why we have to remain committed and vigilant of protecting our way of freedom. With that, the chair recognizes Alderman Mitchell. Thank you. Mr. President, I move that we return. Hearing no objections, so order. This is the portion of the meeting for our committee reports, our first committee. Chair recognizes the committee woman for the finance committee, finance chairwoman Dow.

2:47:41 Thank you, Mr. President and members of the City Council. Reporting for the City Council's Committee on Finance, which held a committee meeting on October 28, 2024, the following items received a due pass recommendation from the committee. Item number one is an ordinance concerning the execution of a redevelopment agreement and issuance of TIF funds for the Heart of Uptown Apartments Rehabilitation Project At 4431-41 North Clifton Avenue, 927 West Wilson Avenue, 900-902 West Windsor Avenue, 847-849 West Sunnyside Avenue, and 4130 North Kenmore Avenue in the 46th Ward in the amount not to exceed $15 million.

2:48:32 dollars uh mr president unless someone wishes to speak on this i move passage of this item by a roll call vote hearing uh and seeing no hands uh members please use oh there are hands my apologies all right the chair recognizes alderman clay thank you so much chairman that would be my hand that you recognize and i just want to say thank you so much to my colleagues for uh really supporting this project. The heart of Uptown is literally what it says in its name. It is deep,

2:49:04 affordable housing that has been in my ward for over 50 years. And they have not had sustainable rehabilitation, you all. Imagine living in the same space for 10 or 20 years without having deep investment. And allowing this to happen is really going to re-energize this space. It's going to welcome families into accessible units and it is also coming from a viable TIF that has done a great job so I just want to say thank you to everyone for supporting this thank

2:49:36 you Alderwoman Clay is urging an aye vote on this item that's what the chair recognizes Alderman Irvin thank you Mr. President would the Alderman yield for questions would you We yield for questions. Yes. Okay. There's been a yielding for questions. Alderman Irvin, your question. You would like for us to support this, ma'am? I would love for you to support this, sir. Thank you very much. I was going to play with you a little bit today, but I'm going to leave it alone.

2:50:07 Please. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you very much. So it has been moved and seconded by the Alderwoman of the 46th Ward that she is encouraging an aye vote. So, members, please use your e-vote application to record your vote at this time. And so, if I could just ask for just a moment here. One of the members of the city council has asked for the participation at the beginning of the meeting remotely.

2:50:44 Is there a motion for Rule 59 to allow Alderwoman Mitz to – it's been moved. Is there a second? All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Any opposed, say nay. Madam Clerk, can you verify Alderwoman Mitz's attendance? I'm here, Mr. She is here. All right, so Alderwoman Mitz will be added as a remote participant. With that now, back to the original motion. Members, use your e-vote application to record your vote at this time. Okay, we'll now call on those who have not yet cast their vote.

2:52:15 Alderperson Robinson? Alderperson Robinson is a yes. Alderwoman Coleman. Alderman Burnett. Alderwoman Rodriguez-Sanchez. Alderwoman Mitts. Aye. Alderwoman Mitts is an aye. Okay, voting is now closed.

2:52:45 All right, well, thank you, Madam Clerk. There are 47 yeas, zero nays. This matter has passed. Congratulations. However, just real quick, on a motion to reconsider, the chair recognizes Alderman Mitchell. I move to reconsider the vote. Anyone in favor of the reconsideration of this vote signify by saying aye. Any opposed say no. The motion fails. You're all good. Congratulations. All right. Chair recognizes. Chairwoman Dow. Thank you, Mr. President. Item number two is an ordinance concerning the issuance of tax-exempt housing revenue bonds for the benefit of Lathrop Preservation Phase 1C project in the 32nd Ward

2:53:23 in an amount not to exceed $100 million. I move passage of this item by the first most favorable roll call vote of the Committee on Finance report and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objection, so ordered. Item number three is an ordinance concerning the authority to enter into and execute an intergovernmental agreement with the Chicago Board of Education for provision of TIF funds for improvements at CVS or Chicago Vocational Career Academy High School at 2100 East 87th Street in the 8th Ward

2:54:00 in an amount not to exceed $5 million. I move passage of this item by the same motion. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Item number four is an ordinance concerning the execution of a redevelopment agreement with an issuance of tax increment financing funds to Revolution Workshop for space improvements at 3410 West Lake Street. in the 28th Ward not to exceed $3,714,519.

2:54:31 I move passage of this item by the same motion. Hearing no objection, so ordered. Item number five is an ordinance. Authorizing fee waivers or refund for the Chicago Board of Education and its contractors for buildings and facilities used for public or governmental purposes with annual reporting of fee waivers to the Office of Budget and Management. I move passage of this item by the same motion with the exception of Alderman Riley and Alderman Villegas, who wish to be recorded as voting no on this item.

2:55:03 Hearing no objections, so ordered. Item number 6A is an order authorizing Corporation Council to enter into and execute a settlement order in the case of Ashley Pfeiffer individually and as the supervised administrator of the estate of Joshua Beale and as the mother and next friend of JBJ and JB, minor children, and next of kin of Joshua Beale versus the City of Chicago, Officer Joseph Treacy, Sergeant Thomas DeRuin,

2:55:34 and the estate of Ryan Kinsella in the amount of $225,000. I move passage of this item by the same motion with the exception of Alderman Lopez, who wishes to be recorded as voting no on this item. Hearing no other objection, so ordered. Item number 6B is an order authorizing Corporation Council to enter into and execute a settlement order in the case of Winman Chin versus City of Chicago et al. in the amount of $325,000.

2:56:07 I move passage of this item by the same motion, with the exception of Alderman Lopez, Moore, Quinn, Beale, Riley, Nugent, and Sposato, who all wish to be recorded as voted no on this item. Alderman Gardner, would you also like to be— Please put me as a no as well. All right, this is the ninth person. Alderman Conway would like to be recorded as a no. All right. Tabarez, Alderwoman Tabarez would also like to be recorded as a no. All right. Hearing no objections in spite of division, so ordered.

2:56:42 Item number 6C is an order authorizing Corporation Council to enter into and execute a settlement order in the case of Morgan Kendall Howard versus City of Chicago and Marcus Q. Smith in the amount of $400,000. I move passage of this item by the same motion with the exception of Alderman Riley, Quinn, Scott, and Cardona, who all wish to be recorded as voting no on this item. Very well. Alderman Sposado.

2:57:12 Alderman Nugent. I'm sorry. The chair recognizes Alderman Nugent. Thank you, Mr. President. I was trying to ensure I was recorded as a no on the Chen case. Thank you. I appreciate that. Would you also like to be added as a no on this one? No, thank you, Mr. President. Alderman Spisato to be added. Anyone else wish to be added as a no? Alderman Tabaris looks like wishes to be added as a no. Amanda Politano, you wish to be no? Very well. All right. Hearing no objections, despite the division, so ordered.

2:57:43 Item number 60 is an order authorizing Corporation Council to enter into and execute a settlement order in the case of Jermaine Harris as independent administrator for the estate of Lee Harris versus Richard Zulli et al. in the amount of $4 million. I move passage of this item by the same motion. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Item number seven is the communication transmitting reports of cases in which verdicts, judgments, or settlements were entered into for the month of September 2024.

2:58:18 This will be placed on file with the clerk. Item number eight and nine consist of orders of authorization for the payment of various small claims against the City of Chicago and the denial of payment of various small claims against the City of Chicago if there are no objections. I move that these be placed in the passage in the omnibus. Hearing none, so ordered. Item number 10 is a proposed order authorizing charitable solicitation on the public way, tag-day permits for Chicago Hopes for Kids, for streets around Wrigley Field,

2:58:51 November 26, 2024, through November 30, 2024. These will be placed on file with the clerk. Mr. President, this concludes my report. Thank you, Madam Chair. Very well. Thank you again, Madam Chair. Now for the Committee on Economic Capital and Technology Development. The chair recognizes Chairman Villegas. Thank you, Mr. President. Members of the City Council reporting for the Committee on Economic Capital and Technology Development, which met on Tuesday, October 29th. The committee held a meeting and recommends passing the following items.

2:59:24 Item 1 on the report is the reappointment to a special service area, the reappointment of Juliana Montebello-Roman to SSA No. 17, the Central Lakeview Commission. I move for passage of this reappointment by the first favorable roll call vote of the Committee on Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objections, so order. Items 2 through 9 on the report are a series of ordinances regarding the scope of services, budget, tax levy, and service provider agreements in the following SSA districts.

2:59:54 SSA number 4, 23, 31, 35-2015, 47, 55, 56-2022, and 73. I move for passage of these items for the first favorable roll call vote of the Committee on Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Items 10 through 33 are direct introductions to scope of services, budget management agreements, and the following special service areas in the following districts. SSA number 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 16, 18, 22, 26, 28-2014, 29-2014, 34, 38, 39, 42, 45, 59-2022, 61-2023, 62, 69, 79, and 80.

3:00:51 I move for passage of these items by the first favorable roll call, vote of the Committee on Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Item 34 is a direct introduction to scope of services, budget management, agreement, and amendment to the 2024 service provider agreement and budget for special service area number 27. I move for passage of this item by the same first favorable roll call, vote of the Committee on Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objections, so ordered.

3:01:21 Items 35 through 38 are direct introductions to the establishments of special service areas, approval of the 2025 budget, and imposition of the 2024 tax rate and levy in the following SSA districts. SSA number 32-2024, 76-2024, 81, and 82. I move for pass of these items by the first available roll call vote of the Committee on Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objections, so ordered. of tax incentive ordinances item 39 is an ordinance on a class 8 micro property tax

3:01:55 incentive for former u.s. steel mill located in 7th and 10th wards and amendments of municipal code chapter 2-8 and 2-45 to waive various fees for class 8 micro projects item 40 ordinance to support a class 6b tax incentive for the property at 46 55 west arlington street item 41 an ordinance to support Class C tax incentive for property at various addresses for HSG Belmont Clark, LLC.

3:02:26 I move for pass of these items by the first available roll call vote of the Committee on Finance in the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Thank you, Mr. President. That concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. Chair. For our Committee on Housing and Real Estate, the Chair recognizes Chair Sigcio Lopez. Thank you, Mr. President. Members of the City Council, reporting for your Committee on Housing and Real Estate, which held an in-person meeting on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, the Committee has a series of reports recommending passage of one appointment and three ordinances, including two right-of-entry agreements and one land sale.

3:03:07 The first item is an appointment to the CHA Board. Item number one is an appointment 2024-0013068, appointment a la Sean Cobb as Commissioner of the Chicago Housing Authority. I move passage of this item by the first most favorable call vote on the Committee on Finance and Associated and Successful Motion to Reconsider. Harry, no objection, so ordered. The following items from the Department of Fleet and Facility Management are grouped together for convenience. And four on the summary of report are for the First Amendment to Right of Venture Agreements, both in the 42nd Ward.

3:03:46 The ordinance numbers are Ordinance 2024-0013129 and Ordinance 2024-0013133. I move passage of these items by the same motion. Make your motion again. Yes. The following items from the Department of Fleet and Facilities Management are grouped together for convenience. Item 3 and 4 on the Summary of Report are for the First Amendment to Right of Entry Agreements, both in the 42nd Ward.

3:04:19 The ordinances are Ordinance 2024.0013129 and Ordinance 2024.0013133. I move passage of these two items by the same motion. Hearing no objections, so ordered. The last item is from the Department of Planning and Development, Ordinance 2024.00813106, for the sale of city-owned property for use of garden space in the 16th Ward. I move passes of this item by the same motion. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Mr. President, this concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, the Chair recognizes Chairperson LaSpada.

3:04:53 Thank you, Mr. President. Reporting for your Committee on Pedestrian Traffic Safety, for which a meeting was held on Monday, October 21st, 2024, the first item is the re-referral of O-2024-0012863, Amendment of Municipal Code Section 4-244-140 to prohibit pedaling on portions of East 79th Street, East 75th Street, and South Euclid Parkway. to the Committee on License and Consumer Protection.

3:05:25 If there are no objections, I move re-referral of this item to the Committee on License and Consumer Protection by the first most favorable roll call vote from the Committee on Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider the process. Hearing no objections, so ordered. There were also four routine traffic ordinances that passed. If there are no objections, I move passage of these items by the first most favorable roll call vote from the committee on finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider the hearing no objection so ordered that concludes my report thank you mr chair for the committee on police

3:05:57 and fire the chair recognizes chairman talia farrow good afternoon mr president of the city council reporting for your committee on police and fire for which a meeting was held on october 25th 2024 there was one item before the committee for which committee recommends do pass A-2024-13069, the appointment of Sierra Whitaker as member of the District Council 6th District.

3:06:30 If there are no objections, Your Honor, Mr. President, I move the passage of this item by the first most favorable roll call vote in the Committee on Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objections, so ordered. That concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Chair, for the Committee on Public Safety, Chair recognizes Chairman Hopkins. Thank you, Mr. President. Reporting for your Committee on Public Safety, which held a meeting pursuant to notice October 23rd, your committee recommends passage of the following item,

3:07:01 Resolution No. 8960, calling for hearings on missing women in the City of Chicago. If no one wishes to speak, I move passage of this item by the first favorable roll call of the Committee on Finance and associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Seeing no hands, hearing no objections, so ordered. Thank you. Thank you. That completes your committee report. For the committee, thank you, Mr. Chair. The Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs, and Recreation. The Chair recognizes Chairman Sposato. Reporting for the Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs, and Recreation,

3:07:33 also known as the HAPI Committee, which held a meeting on Friday, October 25, 2024, the committee recommends passes of the following items. A-2024-0012406, Appointment of Sharon Bush as Commissioner of the Chicago Park District. I move passage of this item by the first favorable roll call of the Committee on Finance and Associated Unsuccessful Motion to Reconsider. Hearing no objections, so ordered. O-2-0-2-4-0-0-1-2-4-9-1, expenditure of open space impact fees for improvements at LaSalle 2 Elementary School, Turf Field, 1-1-4-8-8 North Honoré Avenue.

3:08:17 I move passage of this item by the first favorable roll call vote on the Committee of Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objections, so ordered. 02024-0012495, Expenditure of Open Space Impact Fee Funds to Neighbor Space for Development of Winsley Parkway Community Garden and East Side of Ravenswood Avenue from Lawrence to Ainsley. I move passes to this item by the first favorable roll call vote of the Committee on Finance and the Associated Unsuccessful Motion to Reconsider.

3:08:55 Hearing no objections, so ordered. Oh, choose. 0-2024-0013-124, Expenditure of Open Space Impact Fee Funds Improvements for Girthy Elementary, I think I'm saying it right, I hope I am, School Athletic and Recreational Facilities at 2236 North Rockwell. I move passes of this item by the first favorable roll call vote on the Committee of Finance and the Associated Unsuccessful Motion to Reconsider.

3:09:25 Hearing no objections, so ordered. 02024-0013125, Expenditure of Open Space Impact Fee Funds to Neighbor Space for Installation of Permanent Infrastructure and Community Open Space and Garden at 947 West Cullerton Street. I move passes of this item by the first favorable roll call vote on the Committee of Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion. Hearing no objection, so ordered. Thank you, Mr. President. That concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee on Transportation and Public Way.

3:09:56 Chair recognizes Chairman Mitchell. Mr. President, members of the City Council, reporting for your Committee on Transportation and Public Way, which held a meeting on October 28, 2024, the following items passed by the majority of the members present. Page 2, item 1, a mayoral ordinance for the appointment of Dennis J. Mondero as member of the RTA Board of Directors. Appointment 2024-0013-539 Page 2, Item 2 A mayoral ordinance for the appointment of Jerickson Medina

3:10:36 as member of the RTA Board of Directors Appointment 2024-0013-538 Page 2, Item 3 A mayoral ordinance for the appointment of Natasha E. Jenkins as member of the RTA Board of Directors. Appointment 2024-0013535. Page 2, item 4. A mayoral ordinance for the appointment of Nora K. Ryan as member of the RTA Board of Directors.

3:11:07 Appointment 2024-0013540. Page 2, item 5. a mayoral ordinance for the appointment of Thomas G. Koteric as a member of the RTA Board of Directors. Appointment 2024-0013536. Pages 3 and 4 include 15 ordinances for miscellaneous items introduced by the local aldermen from Wards 3, 20, 23, 25, 26, 28, 35, 36, and 42.

3:11:39 Page 5, Item 1, a resolution congratulating the CTA on their DNC operations, Resolution 2024-0013147. Page 6 includes Item Ordinance 2024-0011197, a vacation ordinance for a property located in the 27th Ward. With regards to the RTA appointment of Thomas Koteric, I have been made aware that the letter that passed in committee contained a Scrivener's error,

3:12:12 namely an expiration date of the July 1st instead of May 14th. The typo has been corrected, and so I move that the date correction be accepted and that the appointment be passed on its corrected form. So we can accept the amendment, essentially, a correction to the date If there aren't any objections, that part of what you are requesting is so ordered. Thank you, Mr. President. You're welcome. And I presume that there are folks who want to parse out these items.

3:12:46 No, not yet. Yes. So we haven't. We're good. We're good. So we're just accepting the correction of the actual time of the appointment. But there has been no motions for any of those specific appointments or those items to be passed with the most favorable roll call and the subsequent unsuccessful motion to reconsider its failure. But I would imagine that there are individuals that wish to parse out these items. So how about we do this?

3:13:16 Let's go back to those initial appointments, make your motion of those appointments for the RTA, and then we'll open it up for anyone who wishes to vote not in the affirmative or anyone who wishes to speak to that. So make your motion, Chairman, for the first five items, page two, I believe. Okay. On the first five items, if there are no objections, I move past of these items by the first most favored roll call vote on Committee on Finance and Unsuccessful Motion to reconsider.

3:13:48 Very well. The chair recognizes Alderman Wagesback. Thank you, Mr. President. I was just going to ask if you were going to separate those votes, but I just want to say there were some excellent appointees to this RTA board that we had good discussion with during the committee meeting, and some of them provided excellent responses that I think are a really big change from what we originally saw, and I just want to commend you for those appointees.

3:14:19 However, I would like to be recorded as voting no on item SA 2024-001-3538 for Medina as member of the RTA board. Thank you. Very well. Thank you. Are there any other – the chair recognizes Alderman David Moore. Thank you, Mr. President. As I spoke in committee and after listening to all of them but also knowing several of them, I wanted to commend you on the selection of those appointees, Mr. Mayor.

3:14:55 It represented, number one, what our city looked like, but not only from that standpoint. It was a representation of people who had knowledge, but also people who have compassion as well. And I was more than happy to support that group of appointees at the RTA Board. I stressed in the committee, as you look at that, continue to use that as a, if you will, benchmark to what we really need in this city in terms of, you know, the right type of people that

3:15:29 we need in these spaces. And so with that, I really wish my colleagues, you know, support this whole slate. I think there are people who are going to have some independent voices as well as try to do what's best for our constituents who ride, you know, the CTA, PACE, and Metro. So thank you so much for those appointments and I want to commend you on it. Thank you. Are there any other orders that wish to speak to these items? Sure. The chair recognizes Alderman Raymond Lopez.

3:16:01 Thank you, Mr. President. I just have a point of order on this. Is the motion to vote on all five together? That is correct with the ability to vote no on any one of those five items of which Alderman Wagespeck has already expressed his interest. So, Mr. President, I think there's only one individual that I think people are trying to vote no on. So perhaps we should divide the questions so that the four are voted in unison and the one – I appreciate the logistical dynamics that you're wishing to solve,

3:16:34 but I trust that our clerk's department can make that delineation. We can still take all of them up at once and still make the delineation where people – Mr. President, there's no such thing as letting the clerk delineate. Then I move to divide the question so that the appointment of Jerox and Medina is separated from the other four. It's fine.

3:17:06 It's fine unless this body wishes, according to the rules, to actually vote on the delineation or the dividing of the particular individuals. If there are no objections, I'll accept that as a friendly clarification to what we are already doing. OK, so they will be separated out. OK, so let's do this. Let's which item is which item, which item number is this particular individual? Are they the first item? No, Mr. President, it's the second item. It's the second item.

3:17:39 So why don't we make our motion? Presumably that there are no other people who will record a no on the other four. Let's make a motion then. Let's redo your motion for the four. Let's separate out, divide the question for item number two. Mr. Chair. Mr. President, if there are no objections for item one, item three, item four, or item five, I move passes of the items by the first most favorable roll call vote of the Committee on Finance and the Associated Unsuccessful Motion to reconsider.

3:18:17 Very well. So we'll try this one more time just to make sure that there are no objections. Hearing none, so ordered. Now make a motion for the second item. If there are no objections to item two. I move passage of these items by the first most favorable roll call vote on the committee on financing the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Very well. There's been a motion to approve item number two.

3:18:48 There's been a request for a roll call. The vote. The chair recognizes Alderman LaSpada. Thank you very much, Mr. President. And I was not at transportation and public way. It was a very crowded committee agenda. And I know that there have been questions related to the appointment of religious leaders to the RTA board over the past few months. I have raised some of those questions. And I will say today I do not have questions or concerns related to what Reverend Medina brings to this board.

3:19:26 And I say this as someone who has known him throughout my tenure in office. I've had an opportunity to serve with him, to lead with him, to pray with him. And I would say, like I understand some of the comments that he made in committee, but I do believe that he brings traits and values that we could say are underrepresented at times on the RTA board. I think his work around fiscal responsibility for the institution that he serves is deeply valuable for the RTA board.

3:19:57 I think the work I've seen him do around community engagement, genuine community engagement, is deeply valuable for the RTA board. And I'm glad to support him today. I'll say however the vote goes, should he end up serving, I will personally commit to using my relationship with Mr. Medina to communicate the First Ward's concerns and needs where public transit is concerned. Thank you, Mr. President. Very well. Thank you. If there are any other orders that wish to speak to this item, the roll call vote has been requested.

3:20:30 Members of the City Council, please use your e-vote application to cast your vote at this time.

3:21:07 There we go. Voting is now open. please mark your vote through your electronic devices.

3:22:09 Okay, I will now call on those who have not yet cast their vote. Alderperson Robinson. Alderperson Yancey. Alderwoman Coleman. Alderman O'Shea. Alderman O'Shea is a no. Alderman Mosley. Alderperson Fuentes. Alderman Burnett. Alderperson Rodriguez-Sanchez.

3:22:42 Alderman Mitz Alderman Mitz is a no Alderman Mitz is a no Alderman Vasquez Alderman Vasquez is a no Okay Everyone has voted who is in chambers Voting is now closed There are 18 yeas, 25 nays This motion fails Chair recognizes Alderman Mitchell

3:23:14 Just move on to the next item please Well, Mr. President, that actually is my final, so this concludes my report. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The last committee, Committee on Zoning and Landmarks and Building Standards, the chair recognizes Alderman Riley. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm just checking to see if we needed a vote to reconsider those last items. The last item?

3:23:47 It's not required. Okay. The Chair recognizes the Vice Chair, Lawson, for Zoning, Landmark, and Building Standards. Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. President and members of the Council presenting a series of reports for the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards, which held the meeting on October 29, 2024. These reports are grouped for convenience. The following items were passed by a majority of members present. Page 1 contains Mayoral Text Amendment 02024-0012427 that modifies regulations for signs within the Michigan Avenue and State Street Special Sign District.

3:24:26 I move passage of this item by the last most favorable roll call vote of the Finance Committee report and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Page 1 also contains Mayoral Text Amendment 02024-0012428 that amends the use of funds for administrative reporting and monitoring of the citywide Adopt-a-Landmark Fund. I move passage of this item by the same motion if there is no objection. Hearing none, so ordered. Page 1 also contains text amendment O-2024-0012418 that amends permitting for urban farm operations in the D.C. and D.X. zoning designations.

3:25:06 I will pass it by this item by the same motion if there is no objection. Hearing none, so ordered. Moving on. Pages 1 through 11 contain various map amendments in the 1st, 3rd, 8th, 12th, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 29th, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 36th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 47th, 48th, 49th, and 50th wards. I move passage of these items by the same motion if there is no objection.

3:25:38 Hearing none, so ordered. Lastly, page 12 contains various large signs over 100 square feet in area, 24 feet above grade, in the 8th, 11th, 12th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 42nd, 44th, and 45th wards. I move passage of these items by the same motion if there is no objection. No objections. Hearing none, so ordered. Thank you, Mr. President. That concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. Chair, for the agreed-upon calendar, the Chair recognizes Alderwoman Harris.

3:26:16 Thank you. I received from City Clerk, Andrea in Valencia, a total of 85 items proposed for the agreed-upon calendar, consisting of congratulatory and commemorative tributary resolutions from the following all the persons, all the person Hall, all the person Harris, all the person Lopez, all the person Coleman, all the person Tobias, all the person Villegas, and all the person Silverstein, I moved them in the omnibus.

3:26:48 Hearing no objections, so ordered. Thank you. Now for new business, the clerk will call the wards beginning with the 50th ward. Zoning amendments, which are referred to the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards. Traffic regulations, traffic control signals, and traffic signs, which are referred to the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety. Exemption from physical barrier requirements for commercial driveway alley access to parking facilities, which are referred to the Committee on Transportation and Public Way. Alderperson Silverstein has a proposed ordinance for amendment

3:27:18 of Municipal Code Section 4-60-023 to allow additional package goods licenses on portions of North Kesey Avenue, which is referred to the Committee on License and Consumer Protection. Alderperson in Haddon has a proposed ordinance for a transfer of funds within the 49th Ward Aldermatic Expense Account for the year 2024, which is referred to the Committee on the budget and government operations. Alderperson had and also has a proposed ordinance for the transfer of funds within the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy for the year 2024, which is referred to the Committee on the Budget and Government Operations. Alderperson

3:27:50 Lawson has a proposed ordinance for Amendment of Municipal Code Title IV by modifying Chapters 4-13 and 4-14 regarding short-term shared housing and vacation rental regulations, fees, and prohibitions, which is referred to the Committee on License and Consumer Protection. Alder-Person Lawson also has a proposed ordinance for Amendment of Municipal Code Chapter 7-38 by replacing Section 7-38-110 in its entirety regarding mobile food vendor prohibited locations and equipment, which is referred to the Committee on Transportation and Public Way. All the person wagons back has a proposed ordinance for amendment of municipal code section 17-13-1003-M, allowing shared housing units in non-conforming owner-occupied dwelling units in M districts, which is referred to Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards.

3:28:35 All the person wagons back also has a proposed order for the issuance of permits for signed signboards at 1030 West North Avenue, which is referred to Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards. Alder Person Telefiero has a proposed ordinance for amendment of Municipal Code Section 8-4-270, prohibiting posting of any notice or advertisement upon any garage, which is referred to the Committee on License and Consumer Protection. Alder Person Rodriguez has a proposed ordinance for amendment of Municipal Code Section 9-64-206, relocating parking meters from 2600 through 2611 South Kamensky Avenue

3:29:07 to 2558 through 2547 South Karloff Avenue, which is referred to the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety. Alder Person Mosley has proposed orders for amendment of municipal code section 4-244-140 that were headed to peddling in the 21st Ward, which is referred to the Committee on License and Consumer Protection. Alder Person Quinn has proposed orders for the issuance of permits for signed signboards at 4439 West 63rd Street, which are referred to the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Spilling Standards. Alder Person Robinson has proposed orders for a fee waiver of all permits related to the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority

3:29:40 renovation of the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, which is referred to the Committee on Finance and Consumer Protection. Your Honor, that concludes the presentation of all the medic introductions. Thank you very much. The approval of the journal, Alderman Mitchell. I'm not aware of any corrections to the journal from the October 9, 2024 meeting, and move it be approved. Hearing no objections, so ordered. For unfinished business, Alderman Mitchell. I'm not aware of any unfinished business.

3:30:11 Thank you very much. Now for miscellaneous business, Alderman Mitchell. I am aware of one piece of miscellaneous business. It is the budget resolution, and it was filed by Chairman Irvin. I defer to him. Very well. The chair recognizes Chairman Irvin. Thank you, Mr. President. I provided the clerk with the proposed resolution provided for publication and setting the date and time of the necessary hearing on the budget, and I ask the resolution to be read. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, please read the resolution. Whereas, Mayor Brandon Johnson on October 30, 2024, submitted to the City Council the Executive Budget of the City of Chicago for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2025.

3:30:54 And whereas, it is provided by law that at least one public hearing shall be held by the corporate authorities on the budget document, not less than one week after publication thereof, in such manner as the corporate authorities may determine, and prior to final action thereon. and whereas it is further provided by law that notice of such hearing shall be given by publication in a newspaper having general circulation in the City of Chicago not less than one week prior to the time of such hearing. Now therefore, be it resolved that the budget document for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2025

3:31:25 and ending December 31, 2025, as submitted by the Mayor to the City Council, be published in pamphlet form and made available for public inspection in the Office of the City Clerk no later than November 4, 2024. And be it further resolved that the public hearing on said budget document be held by the City Council at 11.30 a.m. on December 2, 2024, in the City Council Chamber in City Hall, and the City Clerk is hereby directed to cause a notice of such hearing to be published in a newspaper having general circulation in the City of Chicago at least one week prior to the time of such public hearing.

3:31:58 Thank you very much, Mr. Clerk. Chairman Irvin. Mr. President, I move for the temporary suspension of the rules for the immediate consideration of the resolution. Hearing no objections, so ordered. I now move to adopt this resolution by voice vote. Very well. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed say no. The ayes have it. This resolution is passed. Alderman Mitchell on the motion to reconsider. Move to reconsider the vote. All those in favor of the motion to reconsider signify by saying aye. All those opposed say no. The motion fails. Chairman Irvin.

3:32:29 Thank you. Budget hearing schedule is available. I had passed out, along with the resolution for... Hearings which shall begin on November 6th at noon, 12 noon, here in the Council Chamber. That day we will provide a lunch. It will be an Asian-infused soul food brunch. And so we will see each and every one of you on the 6th. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we will provide the orange juice.

3:33:01 You can choose to bring champagne or vodka. So, welcome to 2025 budget season. I now move we return to the regular order of business. Hearing no objection, so order. Alderman Mitchell. Except for the ordinance set in the date and time of the next meeting, I'm not aware of any further miscellaneous business. Very well for the date and time of the next meeting. Alderman Mitchell. I've handed up an ordinance to the clerk stating the date and the time for the next meeting. Be ordained by the City Council of the City of Chicago, Section 1, that the next regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Chicago

3:33:35 shall be held on Monday, December 2nd, 2024, beginning at 10 o'clock a.m. in the Council Chambers on the second floor in City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois. Section 2, this ordinance shall take effect and be enforced from and after its passage. Very well. Before we move for the passage of this in the omnibus, I do wish to recognize Alderwoman Harris, who wishes to speak to, I guess, an exciting but perhaps maybe sad day. A sad day.

3:34:05 Levator Parnell, who has been here forever, has decided to retire. And so just want to thank him for his years. Levator, are you in here? He's retiring. Today is his last. Tomorrow is his last day, y'all. Levator. levator i particularly want to say thank you to levator who's reverend levator

3:34:55 who often tells me alderman you need to get control of yourself so thank you levator for being my conscience when i need it and thank you for all your hard work and commitment and always doing your job with a smile and i like leaving the body to acknowledge uh let Alderman Sposato make a statement. Thank you very much. Leave is granted. The chair recognizes Alderman Sposato. Mr. President, can I get a little help over here? Yes, Alderman Garner, yeah.

3:35:26 Thank you, guys. Yes, very well. I didn't know I was being called on, but I just... Well, you are on the spot now, sir. I don't know what's up to me. All right, Levator. I don't have any food, Levator. Sorry, okay, I've got to go to my office for that, okay? Levator, it's been a pleasure working for all the years. Believe it or not, you were kind of a funny guy to me. I always loved the way you protected the food for us and made sure you were the first guy in line to get food then after that. So I always got a chuckle out of that. But 13 1⁄2 years, who would have thought? Here we are. So just enjoy your retirement.

3:35:58 You're awesome. You know, you always looked out for us. I know things have totally changed from when I first met you 13 1⁄2 years ago to now. You're getting a big blessing to not be part of this craziness anymore. So I wish you the best. Happy retirement, and don't be a stranger. Thank you, Alderman Spisato. Thank you for that recognition. Thank you, sir. I appreciate how you just turned this into a one-person parade and didn't get a permit for that, but that's okay. I do, before we pass Alderman Mitchell, I do want to thank Alderwoman Sam Nugent, our pro temp. I don't know if she might have. There she is. Alderwoman Sam Nugent, thank you for presiding over a city council meeting, particularly during public comments. Appreciate for your leadership.

3:36:44 Thank you very much. And then finally, this was a request I was asked earlier to all the aldermen. The budget books will be distributed by the council service desk as you leave out. That's in room 201A. Alderman Mitchell on the move and the passes in the omnibus. In the omnibus. Hearing no objections, so ordered, Alderman Mitchell. I move that matters in the omnibus be passed by the first most favorable roll call vote on the Committee on Finance and the associated unsuccessful motion to reconsider.

3:37:19 Hearing no objections, so order on the motion to adjourn, Audemant Mitchell. There being no further business before this body, I move that we adjourn. Hearing no objections, so order the meeting is adjourned.

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