Committee on Finance meeting, October 28, 2024
- When: Mon, Oct 28, 2024, 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/showcase/8928482/video/1023389926
- Transcript: full text (30,214 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 opened with a TEFRA public hearing on up to about $19.2 million in multifamily housing revenue notes for the Thrive Exchange South affordable housing project, followed by a public comment period in which many speakers addressed the proposed Pilsen TIF expansion, which was not on the agenda, both for and against. The committee recommended four Law Department settlements: $225,000 in the Joshua Beal shooting case, $325,000 to a man shot by police during a mental health crisis, $400,000 for a fire engine crash, and $4 million in a reversed-conviction lawsuit, with some members recorded as voting no on three of them. It also recommended a one-year renewal of permit fee waivers for the Board of Education over the objections of Alderpersons Reilly and Villegas, a $5 million TIF agreement to restore the pool at Chicago Vocational Career Academy, $15 million in TIF for the Heart of Uptown Apartments rehabilitation, a bond inducement of up to $100 million for Lathrop Homes Phase 1C, $3.7 million in TIF for Revolution Workshop, and a substitute ordinance financing Thrive Exchange South. Discussion included questions about how the TIF Investment Committee prioritizes projects, per-unit housing costs, the number of non-operational CPS pools, and how many Lathrop residents were displaced.
Topics: TIF funding, affordable housing, lawsuit settlements, CPS permit fee waivers, CPS pools, Pilsen TIF expansion, TIF Investment Committee, Lathrop Homes, housing bonds, job training
Agenda items discussed
- 9:45 TEFRA public hearing on multifamily housing revenue notes for the Thrive Exchange South project: discussed
- 1:05:46 Department of Law report of cases with verdicts, judgments or settlements for September 2024
- 1:06:37 Settlement: Ashley Pfeiffer, administrator of the estate of Joshua Beal, v. City of Chicago et al. ($225,000): passed
- 1:12:42 Settlement: Chen v. City of Chicago et al. ($325,000): passed
- 1:16:57 Settlement: Morgan Kendall Howard v. City of Chicago and Marcus Q. Smith ($400,000): passed
- 1:22:21 Settlement: Germaine Harris, administrator of the estate of Lee Harris, v. City of Chicago et al. ($4 million): passed
- 1:31:56 Ordinance authorizing permit fee waivers or refunds for the Chicago Board of Education and its contractors: passed
- 1:44:37 Intergovernmental agreement with the Board of Education for up to $5 million in TIF for the Chicago Vocational Career Academy pool (8th Ward): passed
- 2:18:35 TIF redevelopment agreement of up to $15 million for the Heart of Uptown Apartments rehabilitation (46th Ward): passed
- 2:33:28 Bond inducement of up to $100 million in tax-exempt housing revenue bonds for Lathrop Homes Preservation Phase 1C (32nd Ward): passed
- 3:04:39 Thrive Exchange South redevelopment agreement held at the request of Alderperson Gregory I. Mitchell until later in the meeting: held
- 3:04:48 TIF redevelopment agreement of up to $3.7 million for Revolution Workshop at 3410 W. Lake Street (28th Ward): passed
- 3:16:36 Substitute ordinance for Thrive Exchange South: Chicago Recovery Plan loan, TIF grant, tax-exempt bonds and land conveyance (7th Ward): passed
- 3:27:36 Small claims payments and denials, and tag day permits for Chicago Hopes for Children
Alderpersons who spoke
- Pat Dowell (chair): Said she would check with the finance and buildings departments on contractors who owe the city money and could amend a scofflaw ordinance she is working on with Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez. (1:39:20); Suggested Alderperson Brendan Reilly concerns about city financial entanglements with CPS be raised with the budget director during budget hearings. (1:43:12); Asked whether the CPS partnership with the Park District could extend to pool maintenance through an intergovernmental agreement. (1:59:58)
- Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson): Asked the estimated annual value of fees waived for CPS and whether the ordinance provides waivers or refunds. (1:34:55); Asked how the city ensures contractors who owe the city money do not use the waivers to work for CPS without settling their debts. (1:37:18); Asked why the CVCA pool TIF request advanced within months while other wards' requests have waited years. (2:01:18)
- Gilbert Villegas (alderperson): Asked whether other sister agencies receive permit fee waivers, seeking consistency as CPS becomes a separate entity. (1:33:55); Said he supports the CVCA pool project and asked for a list of CPS's outstanding capital requests and whether project implementation fees are negotiable. (1:53:15); Asked for the per-unit cost breakdown at the Heart of Uptown Apartments, noting three-bedroom units average nearly $1 million. (2:29:20)
- Brendan Reilly (alderperson): Asked about the plaintiff's profession and the basis of the claim for lost future income in the fire engine crash case. (1:19:31); Said he would vote no on the $400,000 settlement because of the projected economic damages and surveillance findings, while complimenting the Law Department. (1:21:19); Opposed the CPS fee waivers, saying the council has no oversight of CPS spending and the city should not routinely subsidize CPS amid governance changes. (1:40:08)
- Matthew J. O'Shea (alderperson): Described the incident in the Beal case as a very ugly mark in the city's history and said he was glad it was being settled. (1:11:23)
- Nicholas Sposato (alderperson): Asked what happened to the officers involved in the Beal shooting, including any suspensions. (1:11:40); Asked the CPS liaison to remind the school board that 41 alderpersons had asked them to keep the CPS chief executive. (1:43:43)
- Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Said the Chen case, which occurred in her ward, shows the need for language access when police interact with non-English speakers, especially in mental health crises, and said she would vote yes. (1:15:21); Asked how many pool projects are in the CPS capital budget and how CPS prioritizes them. (2:08:08); Requested a breakdown of other government funding provided for CPS capital projects over the past two years. (2:12:20)
- Chris Taliaferro (alderperson): Asked how many pending cases involve the lead detective from the Harris case and whether they include allegations of coerced confessions. (1:30:49); Supported the CVCA pool project and asked whether the Park District could contract with CPS to use the pool. (1:49:32)
- Daniel La Spata (alderperson): Called the CVCA pool an exciting project and asked about the design, project implementation and remediation costs. (1:50:31); Spoke in support of Lathrop Homes Phase 1C, crediting residents, the developers and Alderperson Scott Waguespack, and said preservation of the historic buildings adds cost. (2:51:34); Explained that Lathrop residents won the right to remain on site during construction, which makes a displacement count harder to state. (2:57:40)
- Anthony Beale (alderperson): Asked how many CPS pools are down and what maintenance assurances exist so renovated pools do not fail again. (1:54:10); Said he supports the project but called having about 50 non-operational pools citywide a problem. (1:56:30); Praised Revolution Workshop's job training work, including in his ward, and called the project a good use of TIF. (3:11:27)
- Monique L. Scott (alderperson): Supported the pool project and suggested CPS have its engineers certified to maintain pools, as Park District engineers do, noting jobs created by open pools. (1:57:52); Explained that Park District staff and lifeguards are on site all day at some school-based pools. (2:00:41)
- Byron Sigcho-López (alderperson): Commended Alderperson Michelle A. Harris for advocating for the pool project and supported it as public investment in schools. (2:12:42); Called for the same scrutiny of TIF requests for private projects as for public ones, citing a recent private theater investment. (2:14:26)
- Michelle A. Harris (alderperson): Said she has worked on restoring the CVCA pool since 2011, describing how long it took to build up TIF funds and the community's need for year-round pool access. (2:15:35)
- Jason C. Ervin (alderperson): Asked whether Lathrop Phase 1C uses 4% tax credits and how much of the developer fee is being deferred. (2:54:10); Praised Revolution Workshop's work in East Garfield Park and thanked colleagues whose wards share the Central Park TIF. (3:15:05)
- Scott Waguespack (alderperson): Said about 175 units were closed on the south part of the Lathrop site and that residents were given a right to return, while agreeing CHA should provide exact numbers. (3:00:20); Thanked the Department of Housing presenter and asked committee members to support the project, describing community efforts to keep affordable housing on site. (3:01:12)
- Gregory I. Mitchell (alderperson): Said he has worked on Thrive Exchange for years and asked for favorable consideration. (3:26:47)
Exchanges between members
- 1:39:20 The chair told Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez she would look into contractor debts and could amend their scofflaw ordinance.
- 1:39:58 Alderperson Brendan Reilly thanked Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez for asking most of his questions on the CPS fee waivers.
- 1:43:12 The chair suggested Alderperson Brendan Reilly pursue his CPS questions with the budget director during budget hearings.
- 1:43:47 Alderperson Nicholas Sposato commended Alderperson Brendan Reilly questions.
- 1:43:51 Alderperson Nicholas Sposato said he appreciated Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez questions.
- 2:00:41 Alderperson Monique L. Scott answered the chair that Park District staff work all day at some school-based pools.
- 2:06:26 The chair responded to Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez that TIF projects come before the committee and that the body recently approved one in his ward.
- 2:12:44 Alderperson Byron Sigcho-López congratulated Alderperson Michelle A. Harris for her advocacy on the pool project.
- 2:57:39 Alderperson Daniel La Spata responded to Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez question by explaining Lathrop residents won the right to stay on site during construction.
- 3:00:20 Alderperson Scott Waguespack offered Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez an approximate count of units closed at Lathrop and agreed exact numbers should be provided.
- 3:15:20 Alderperson Jason C. Ervin thanked Alderperson Walter R. Burnett for his support of the Revolution Workshop project.
- 3:15:47 Alderperson Jason C. Ervin thanked Alderperson Anthony Beale for acknowledging work on the West Side.