City Council meeting, February 26, 2025

When: Wed, Feb 26, 2025, 10:00 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/manage/videos/1060178082
Transcript: full text (17,534 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.

The February 26, 2025 City Council meeting opened with a vote accepting remote participation for several members, followed by a public comment period with nine speakers on topics including a proposed ban on new fur sales, the mayor's performance, sanctuary city policy and the proposed bond. The council passed journal corrections from the Committee on Committees and Rules 48-0, approved several re-referrals and the agreed calendar, and heard new introductions. Most of the meeting was spent on Chairwoman Pat Dowell Rule 41 motion to call a vote on a substitute ordinance authorizing up to $830 million in general obligation bonds for infrastructure; a roll call was started, then withdrawn as a courtesy to allow debate. Alderpersons Burnett, Harris and Dowell spoke in support, while Alderpersons Beale, Conway, Lee, Lopez and Reilly spoke against the structure or size of the borrowing. A Rule 27 motion to postpone the vote to May 21 was laid on the table after a 25-25 tie broken by the chair, and the bond ordinance then passed 26-23.

Topics: General obligation bond, Infrastructure funding, Debt repayment structure, Aldermanic menu, Remote participation, Public comment, Committee re-referrals, Parliamentary procedure

Agenda items discussed

35:43 Roll call vote to accept remote participation under Rule 59: passed
41:03 Public comment period: discussed
1:07:38 Resolution honoring state wrestling champion David McCarthy of De La Salle Institute
1:10:07 Committee on Committees and Rules: corrections of City Council journals (items 1-3): passed
1:14:13 Committee on Committees and Rules: re-referrals of items 4-10 and removal of Alderperson Monique L. Scott from the Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight (item 11): passed
1:18:38 Agreed calendar of congratulatory and commemorative resolutions: passed
1:19:13 New business: introduction and referral of ordinances, orders and resolutions
1:23:53 Substitute ordinance authorizing up to $830 million in general obligation bonds for infrastructure and related projects (SO2025-0014841): passed
1:35:50 Motion to suspend Rule 19 to negate the roll call already started on the bond ordinance: discussed
2:28:02 Motion under Rule 27 to postpone the bond vote to May 21, 2025 (laid on the table): failed
2:37:46 Ordinance setting the next meeting for March 12, 2025: passed

Alderpersons who spoke

Pat Dowell (alderperson): Introduced a resolution honoring De La Salle senior David McCarthy for winning the IHSA Class A boys wrestling state championship. (1:07:39); Stated she had filed a Rule 41 notice to call for a vote on the substitute general obligation bond ordinance. (1:23:56); Described three changes in the substitute, including limiting loans and grants to capital projects at the direction of the ward's alderperson with a $75 million cap. (1:24:48)
Michelle A. Harris (alderperson): Reported the Committee on Committees and Rules' recommendations, including journal corrections and re-referrals of several ordinances. (1:10:07); Said she has voted for the bond in nearly every year of her 18-year tenure because a city this size needs bonding for infrastructure. (1:53:46); Said her 8th Ward residents have hundreds of requests for street resurfacing and sidewalks funded through menu dollars. (1:54:32)
Anthony Beale (alderperson): Asked whether there would be any debate on the bond ordinance before the vote. (1:27:56); Asked for a few minutes to discuss the $830 million bond before voting. (1:28:56); Said no one opposes an infrastructure bond but objected to no payments for two years and no principal payments for 20 years with a large balloon payment. (1:57:00)
Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Said her ward has infrastructure needs and thanked the sponsors for the amendment adding guardrails on loans and grants, which she had requested. (2:12:47); Said about $1 billion in previously authorized bonds remains unissued, so she did not believe $830 million is needed this year. (2:13:37); Said she had hoped for one or two more weeks to build consensus and could not support the ordinance as written. (2:14:22)
Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson): Rose in opposition to the $830 million authorization while agreeing that many communities lack investment. (2:15:31); Listed prior infrastructure bond authorizations under the previous administration totaling nearly $5 billion, including menu funding through 2027. (2:16:32); Asked why the city would borrow money for which it already has authorization. (2:19:17)
Walter R. Burnett (alderperson): Described the bond as a quality-of-life measure for paved streets, safe sidewalks and clean water. (1:38:32); Said the western part of his ward relies on menu money while downtown areas receive infrastructure work without it. (1:39:20); Argued that front-loading repayment would be unfair to current taxpayers and that alternatives would add at least $80 million next year. (1:40:45)
William Conway (alderperson): Described the repayment schedule as back-loaded, citing the Council Office of Financial Analysis, with payments rising to $137 million per year from 2050 to 2055. (2:05:35); Said total costs exceed $2 billion and more than $820 million would be paid between 2050 and 2055. (2:06:33); Compared delayed principal repayment to the parking meter deal trading away future revenue. (2:08:00)
Brendan Reilly (alderperson): Said the debate was not about the value of infrastructure or the menu program but about technical deficiencies in the bond deal. (2:24:14); Disputed claims that infrastructure would fail without the bond and doubted promises to fix the deal later. (2:25:16); Said there was time to take a few more days to get the deal right. (2:26:10)

Exchanges between members

1:23:40 Alderperson Gregory I. Mitchell deferred to Chairwoman Pat Dowell on the unfinished business item she had filed.
2:04:51 Alderperson William Conway said he would echo Alderperson Anthony Beale remarks and thanked him for them.
2:10:00 Alderperson William Conway disputed the vice mayor's figure that alternatives would add $80 million per year.
2:24:14 Alderperson Brendan Reilly acknowledged Alderperson Anthony Beale remarks as excellent.
2:24:14 Alderperson Brendan Reilly acknowledged Alderperson William Conway remarks as excellent.
2:24:14 Alderperson Brendan Reilly acknowledged Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez remarks as excellent.

Roll-call votes at this meeting

Issuance of general obligation bonds to finance improvements to public rights-of-way, infrastructure and transportation, loans and grants, acquisition of property, construction and maintenance of public buildings, economic programs, lead service line replacements, as amended (SO2025-0014841): Passed 26 yea, 23 nay