September 22
During its meeting the Chicago City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy approved a substitution ordinance to amend a section of the Municipal Code prohibiting unreasonable restrictions on composting. Public commenter Liam Donnelly, founder and CEO of WasteNot Compost, spoke in favor of the composting measure. Committee Member Matt Martin (47th) introduced the ordinance, which is designed to remedy instances in which residents were prevented from using compost services by condominium boards and landlords. Chicago high school student Gabi Jamieson also presented a fossil-fuel resolution to the committee aimed at fighting climate change. Formerly a Committee intern, Jamieson was “the architect of the resolution,” according to the fossilfueltreaty/chicago.org website. “She authored the resolution, secured support from other environmental groups, and the Illinois Environmental Council, and testified in front of the Chicago Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy.” Committee Member Bill Conway (34th) expressed appreciation for Jamieson’s work but zeroed in on a passage in the resolution calling for the end of fossil fuel expansion and asked about the implications for national defense, gas prices, and the economy. Jamieson said that the resolution symbolized the city’s commitment to transitioning from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy sources. After review and discussion, the Committee agreed to recommend that the City Council affirm its commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement goals and to call for the federal government to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
October 10
At its meeting the Metra Board of Directors reviewed budgets and heard from three public commenters. The Board learned from Metra CFO John Morris that the agency is essentially on track with its budget for 2025 revenue and expenses, noting that revenue was supported by sales tax and COVID-era funds. Ridership was below budget for September but higher when compared with last year’s September figures, indicating that growth is steady. Two of three public commenters were concerned about the “fiscal cliff” facing Northern Illinois transit, emphasizing the importance of funding as well as protecting jobs and services. They were Metra employees: a train conductor and member of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers; an engineer and member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; and a member of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Division Lodge 2857 who works in the building and bridges department. There were also updates on the need for a ten percent fare increase and other responses to the end of federal COVID-era funding. All eleven members of the Board were present. They are appointed by county leadership and the mayor of Chicago. They represent the six-county Chicago metropolitan area known as the “collar counties.”
October 16
At its meeting the board of commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago approved memberships in the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and the U.S. Water Alliance. These affiliations are designed to strengthen MWRD’s role in national water policy. The Board noted the importance of public access and transparency of water quality data. It also approved travel expenses for Board members and the acting executive director of about $7,200; passed thirty-eight of thirty-nine agenda items; and announced its plans to host events celebrating the 125th anniversary of the creation of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which MWRD helped develop. More information will be available. The agency’s mission, according to its website, is to “protect the health and safety of the public” in its service area. Responsibilities include protecting the quality of “the water supply source (Lake Michigan)” and improving “the quality of water in its watercourses.” The agency is also charged with protecting “businesses and homes” from flood damage and “managing water as a vital resource” in its service area.
Threats to residents from ICE and other federal law enforcement were a key topic of discussion at the Chicago Police Board meeting. Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood mentioned that protections would be in place for protest events and other incidents, including the then-upcoming No Kings Day which took place on October 18. Gatewood said he anticipated that demonstrations would be peaceful. He also presented data showing that city crime is down double digits, indicating that National Guard forces are not necessary. The chief of CPD’s Office of Constitutional Policing and Reform, Angel Novalez, explained that the department does not enforce immigration law. But “if you need police, please, please call,” he said. He noted that CPD officers would not be masked and would be showing their name and badge number.
Community members also spoke in connection with shootings at nightclubs, package thefts, and wrongful convictions. CPD representatives, Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood and board members responded. The Chicago Police Board is an independent civilian body that decides disciplinary cases involving Chicago police officers, especially when the CPD superintendent “files charges to discharge a sworn officer,” according to the Police Board’s website. Its nine members are appointed by the mayor. The board also holds meetings during which members of the public may “present questions and comments” to the board, the police department superintendent, and the head of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). Other responsibilities are ruling on disciplinary-related disagreements between the chief administrator of COPA and the police superintendent; considering appeals by individuals whose applications to become police officers have been rejected by the department; and adopts “rules and regulations” for police department governance.
October 21
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) reported a possible $375 million shortage in its 2026 budget at the Chicago City Council Afternoon 2026 Chicago Budget Hearing: Budget/Finance Agencies meeting. The CDPH is one of the city’s departments facing serious financial challenges, mainly due to the pullback of federal grants but also the expiration of COVID-era grants, including American Rescue Plan Act money. The department already was notified that Washington is canceling $125 million in federal funds, which is impacting twenty-two contracts and one hundred staff positions, according to the Mayor’s Office. The department also has one of the highest numbers of vacant jobs with seventy-four percent of budgeted positions unfilled, twenty-five of which could be added to the Department of the Environment.
October 23
At their meeting, members of the Chicago City Council Morning 2026 Chicago Budget Hearing: Infrastructure Day 2 learned that despite the City’s $1.15 billion deficit, the Department of Water Management is slated to receive $774 million in the upcoming fiscal year. That would be an eighty-five percent increase for the department from 2025 and the largest single-year increase in the department’s history. Meanwhile, Chicago faces a major budget shortfall, thanks in part to federal funding cuts and the expiration of COVID-era grants, including funds provided under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Most of that added money will come from the Disaster Recovery Fund, a new grant introduced in this budget. Disaster Recovery is part of the 2025 Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recovery (CDGB-DR) that Chicago received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant’s purpose was to help mitigate storm damage and assist in community recovery after severe storms in 2023 and 2024. Committee members asked Water Department leaders how they plan on using the grant money for several projects. For example, the department is in the process of replacing the city’s lead water lines for 412,000 residences and contending with water-meter measurement errors, one of which ran to six figures.
This information was collected and curated by the Weekly in large part using reporting from City Bureau’s Documenters at documenters.org.