Committee on Finance meeting, May 18, 2026
- When: Mon, May 18, 2026, 10:00 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Finance
- Video: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1192012038
- Transcript: full text (27,930 words, automatic captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The Committee on Finance, chaired by Alderperson Pat Dowell, heard 11 public commenters, many supporting an affordable housing development for domestic violence survivors at 3959 North Lincoln Avenue and the expansion of the Canal Congress TIF to allow the city to acquire the Greyhound bus station. The committee approved its Rule 45 reports and recommended three legal settlements: $2.25 million and 2,800 accessible affordable units in Access Living v. City of Chicago, with Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez recorded as opposed; $3.5 million to the estate of a pedestrian killed after a police pursuit, which passed on a roll call announced as 18 to 9; and $13 million in the wrongful conviction case of Arnold Day. It also passed a change to the city's charitable payroll deduction program, $11.5 million in housing funds for the 3959 North Lincoln project, TIF support for Mollison Elementary School, the Aspire Center, the Workshop Arts Collaborative and the United Yards project, and three ordinances expanding the Canal Congress TIF district. Members raised questions about delegate agencies suing the city, police pursuit policy, MBE participation, CPS employee parking debts and the total cost of acquiring the bus station.
Topics: Legal settlements, Accessible affordable housing, Police pursuit liability, Wrongful conviction, Housing for domestic violence survivors, Tax increment financing, Greyhound bus station, Charitable payroll deductions
Agenda items discussed
- 50:33 April 2026 Rule 45 report and revised March 2026 Rule 45 report: passed
- 51:23 Department of Law report of verdicts, judgments and settlements for April 2026: discussed
- 52:02 Settlement in Access Living v. City of Chicago, $2,250,000: passed
- 1:26:51 Settlement in Gonzalez v. City of Chicago (estate of Jose Almanza Martinez), $3.5 million: passed
- 2:00:12 Settlement in Arnold Day v. Kenneth Boudreau, $13 million: passed
- 2:09:31 Amendment of Section 2-32-085 regarding the voluntary charitable payroll deductions program: passed
- 2:17:54 Multifamily program funds for 3959 North Lincoln Avenue (4% and 9% LIHTC components): passed
- 2:45:10 Intergovernmental agreement with the Board of Education for TIF funds for Mollison Elementary School: passed
- 2:53:21 First amendment to redevelopment agreement with West Side Health Authority for the Aspire Center: passed
- 3:01:25 Redevelopment agreement with Workshop Arts Collaborative LLC for 3741-3749 West Lawrence Avenue: passed
- 3:07:59 First amendment to redevelopment agreement for United Yards Project 1B at 4700 South Ashland Avenue: passed
- 3:15:16 Amendment number three to the Canal Congress TIF redevelopment plan, designation and tax increment financing for the expanded area: passed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Pat Dowell (chair): Asked how long it would take to resolve the attorney's fees dispute in the Access Living case. (1:06:51); Asked whether the officers notified OEMC when they self-terminated the pursuit. (1:39:31); Agreed with Lopez and said the committee would seek CPS and city data on collection of employee parking debt. (2:51:45)
- William Conway (alderperson): Asked whether the city would pay for upgrades to the 2,800 accessible units and how inspections would work. (59:32); Questioned paying $2.25 million to an organization that receives city grants and asked whether any money goes to tenants. (1:01:37); Asked when officers ended the pursuit and why the Traffic Review Board found it compliant. (1:35:34)
- Jason C. Ervin (alderperson): Asked how the Los Angeles settlement compared and why attorney's fees were not included in the settlement. (1:04:12); Said expanding the TIF to include the Greyhound station makes sense given its access to CTA and Amtrak for riders without other options. (3:20:46)
- Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Asked what attorney's fees the plaintiffs might seek and who will pay the neutral accessibility expert. (1:07:42); Asked MOPD about staffing for accessibility inspections and urged that two budgeted vacancies be filled to ensure compliance. (1:12:18); Said the total project cost per unit includes supportive services and retail space, and asked whether services would be exclusive to residents. (2:36:24)
- Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson): Said he is not comfortable with a settlement the Law Department disputes and objected to a city delegate partner suing the city, and said he would vote no. (1:15:50); Requested a list of all city grants associated with Access Living. (1:24:08); Asked about the appellate ruling limiting fault apportionment and whether the city is appealing and pursuing fleeing offenders. (1:40:28)
- Gilbert Villegas (alderperson): Asked whether more accessibility lawsuits like the CDOT and Access Living cases are pending. (1:17:56)
- Emma Mitts (alderperson): Asked about the timeline and how locations will be identified for the required accessible units. (1:18:33); Asked the criteria for locating new affordable housing and how hearing-impaired accessibility is addressed. (1:19:48)
- Brian Hopkins (alderperson): Asked whether the city can include no-litigation clauses in delegate agency contracts and requested a formal legal opinion. (1:24:22); Asked whether any physical evidence tied Day to the crime and was told there was none. (2:07:08)
- Chris Taliaferro (alderperson): Asked whether any other police vehicles were involved in the pursuit. (1:40:09); Said the Aspire Center has been a great asset in Austin and asked for support of the amendment. (3:00:08)
- Nicholas Sposato (alderperson): Asked about the length of the chase and the offender's driving, and said he considers unsignaled lane changes reckless driving. (1:47:14); Said it is hard to accept city responsibility when the crash occurred after the pursuit ended, and said he would vote no. (1:49:03); Asked how much city workers donated through the payroll program and encouraged colleagues and employees to contribute. (2:12:56)
- Scott Waguespack (alderperson): Asked whether the Law Department has recommended changes to police pursuit general orders. (1:52:59); Asked whether the Law Department has acted on a two-year-old request to seek state changes to tort law on proximate cause, and said the council may need to take it to Springfield. (1:54:26)
- Daniel La Spata (alderperson): Asked why a charity would ask to leave the payroll deduction program if participation has no cost. (2:13:57)
- Matthew J. Martin (alderperson): Highlighted rising domestic violence and its link to women's homelessness as reasons he supports the 3959 North Lincoln project. (2:34:05); Said the project came together over six years with four community meetings and over 400 written comments. (2:35:35)
- Gregory I. Mitchell (alderperson): Asked about the MBE/WBE participation plan for the 3959 North Lincoln project and objected to describing 26 percent as a target that could be opted out of. (2:41:09)
Exchanges between members
- 1:39:31 The chair followed up on Conway's questions about the pursuit.
- 1:39:57 Taliaferro said the chair had asked the question he intended to ask.
- 2:16:32 Lopez referred to his colleague from the 38th Ward in discussing adding new charities to the payroll program.
- 2:36:08 Lee congratulated Martin and his community on the 3959 North Lincoln project.
- 2:51:45 The chair agreed with Lopez's point on CPS employee debt and committed to obtaining data.
- 3:00:02 The chair asked Taliaferro to comment on the Aspire Center project in his ward.
- 3:25:57 Ervin restated Lopez's question about how the bus station cost figures relate.
- 3:28:03 Conway acknowledged Lopez's questions and noted the item only expands TIF boundaries.
- 3:31:55 The chair told Lopez the acquisition and rehab costs will come back to the committee for review.