City Council meeting, November 2, 2023
- When: Thu, Nov 2, 2023, 10:30 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Body: full City Council
- Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/6277394/video/880283482
- Transcript: full text (7,806 words, official 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.
This special City Council meeting was called by five alderpersons to consider three proposed referendum resolutions: whether Chicago should remain a sanctuary city, whether to increase public mental health clinics, and whether to create a flooding mitigation plan. Much of the meeting was spent on repeated quorum roll calls; a motion to adjourn failed early on, the Council recessed, and a quorum was later established, after which a motion allowing remote participation was approved. After public comment, Ald. Anthony Beale moved passage of the sanctuary city referendum, and the chair ruled that the rules would need to be suspended because the item was held in committee, a ruling that Ald. Jason C. Ervin and Ald. Brian Hopkins addressed from different positions. After a further recess, a new quorum call found 25 members present, disputes arose over whether remote participants counted toward quorum, a motion by Ald. Raymond A. Lopez to select Ald. Brendan Reilly as temporary presiding officer was ruled out of order, and the meeting was adjourned without action on the referendum questions.
Topics: Sanctuary city referendum, Quorum, Remote participation, Rules of order, Migrant spending, Public comment
Agenda items discussed
- 1:49:55 Quorum roll call
- 1:55:06 Motion to adjourn for lack of quorum: failed
- 2:54:31 Motion to allow members to participate remotely under Rule 59: passed
- 2:56:47 Reading of the call for the special meeting
- 2:58:41 Public comment period: discussed
- 3:12:02 Resolution submitting a referendum on whether Chicago should keep its sanctuary city designation (R2023-0004224): discussed
- 2:57:42 Resolution submitting a referendum on increasing public mental health clinics (R2023-0005108)
- 2:58:02 Resolution submitting a referendum on a flooding mitigation and response plan (R2023-0005109)
- 3:56:00 Motion to select Ald. Brendan Reilly as temporary presiding officer (ruled out of order): failed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Anthony Beale (alderperson): Said members in the back were avoiding the vote and moved to recess until 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. (2:46:57); Said he supports letting voters decide on Bring Chicago Home and argued voters should also decide on sanctuary city status, citing migrant spending and budget uncertainty. (3:12:02); Described the referendum as a nonbinding question for taxpayers on whether to continue current migrant spending. (3:16:37)
- Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson)
- Jason C. Ervin (alderperson): Raised a point of order that the item was deferred and published the prior day and that 34 votes are needed to suspend the rules, asking that it be ruled out of order. (3:20:54)
- Brian Hopkins (alderperson): Said the special meeting was properly noticed under the Open Meetings Act and asked which rule would require suspension. (3:22:18)
- Carlos Ramírez-Rosa (alderperson): Said fewer than 26 members appeared to be present, requested a quorum call, and moved to reconvene Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. if quorum was lacking. (3:42:04)
Exchanges between members
- 3:20:54 Ald. Jason C. Ervin responded to Ald. Anthony Beale motion by saying it should be handled through the proper process and ruled out of order.