November 6
On day two of the Chicago City Council Budget Hearing on Public Safety, council members questioned the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) about 911 delays, staffing, the Crisis Assistance Response & Engagement (CARE) program, funding, and leadership issues. The Chicago Fire Department presented its budget for the 2026 fiscal year, addressing staffing, wellness grants, fees, language access, and new vehicles. Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holttold the committee the proposed budget “will meet the challenge of maintaining operational excellence in a constrained fiscal environment,” reported The Daily Line. “It funds critical positions, prioritizes safety equipment, and sustains training programs that directly impact firefighter readiness and public safety outcomes,” she said. The department is looking for alternative funding sources amid cuts to Chicago’s Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) funding and other federal funding sources. The proposed budget represents a 5.7 percent increase from last year, from $753.6 million to $796.9 million. The committee also discussed theSmart911 program. “Smart911 is a service that allows residents to create a free Safety Profile for their household that includes any information they want 9-1-1 and first responders to have in the event of an emergency,” according to the city’s Emergency Management & Communications website. “Then, when anyone in that household dials 9-1-1 from a phone associated with their Safety Profile, their profile is immediately displayed to the 9-1-1 call taker providing additional information that can be used to facilitate the proper response to the proper location.”
November 12
During back-to-back committee and board meetings, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) board members approved the proposed 2026 budget. Key provisions are no fare hikes, no service cuts, and no layoffs. A $1.5 billion funding package passed by the state legislature in October rescued the authority from a long-looming fiscal cliff. “With these funds, we will expand our bus and rail service, invest in new technologies, and implement new strategies to support our riders and employees,” said CTA acting President Nora Leerhsen. The legislation also brings the CTA, Metra, and Pace under one new oversight system, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA), and eliminates the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). The budget includes plans to offer free fixed-route rides for paratransit riders and a 24-hour Orange Line service to Midway Airport. The free rides were designed to make up for monthly limits put on the Rideshare Access Program and Taxi Access Program, which pay a portion of costs for eligible riders under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In August, Chicagoans with disabilities urged the RTA to reject cuts that would severely reduce the maximum number of rides available to them per month. Larry Dean, economic justice organizer for Access Living, said the new limits would “force many people in the disability community to make impossible choices: Do I go to work or see my doctor? Do I attend my class or visit my family for the holidays?”
November 13
At the Chicago City Council Budget Hearing on Independent Offices & Regulatory Agencies,council members reviewed funding possibilities for a gender-based violence (GBV) initiative. The Mayor’s Office of Gender-Based Violence Response states that GBV “disproportionately impacts women of color, indigenous women, transgender individuals and LGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrants, and people with disabilities.” The office also describes GBV as a “human rights violation,” a “public health crisis,” and “a form of discrimination.” Money for the GBV initiative was to come from a revival of the city’s head tax, also called a community safety surcharge, but funding is in jeopardy after the City Council rejected the mayor’s proposed 2026 budget. About twenty-five percent of funds for the GBV office—$3.5 million—was to come from the surcharge. The tax was also intended to support violence reduction and intervention, youth employment, victim support programs, and trauma-informed training, according to Budget Director Annette Guzman. “Chicago needs to think more about, how do we grow our way out of the situation that we’re in, versus the taxes,” said Alderman Nicole Lee (11th Ward), who supports violence reduction services. Other Council members are also on the record as opposing the funding cuts: “I will do whatever is necessary to fulfill the full budget ask made by the task force,” said Alderman Daniel La Spata (1st Ward). “I will not enter into a 2026 that costs the lives of more women. That is a moral calculation that I refuse to make.”
November 18
At their meeting, the Chicago Public Library (CPL) Board of Trustees heard several staff presentations. Chris Brown, the library’s commissioner, told the board that the library’s goals for 2026 are more civic engagement, more safety interventions, and more partnerships with the mayor’s office. Library staff presented on finance, programming, and partnerships. They shared news that the “Jump Into Reading” youth literacy program is now offered in Spanish; the “Teen Winter Challenge” gives high school students the opportunity to present artwork for a $200 prize; the “Reading Set” program allows patrons to check out as many as twelve books at once; and the “Storytelling for Community Healing” initiative, which supports incarcerated individuals and those impacted by incarceration, is one of three such programs in the country to receive and American Library Association grant. CPL has responded to ICE presence by offering “Know Your Rights” sessions and handing out palm cards. They are piloting an emergency communications effort to send mass texts to library staff. The first public commenter called for repairs and improvement to the Gage Park branch, 2807 West 55th Street, including better computers, more books, and more space, in part to provide the primarily Latino community a safe space. A second commenter said more tax money is needed because “libraries play an essential role” in controlling the spread of misinformation. A Whitney Young High School senior, who said she has been a CPL intern for four years, argued for the library to take advantage of teen suggestions when choosing literature materials.
November 20
At their meeting, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Board of Directors celebrated the passage of SB2111 in October. The bill overhauls transit governance, mainly affecting the Chicago area, by replacing the RTA with the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) and, for the time being, resolves a projected budget shortfall.It will take effect in about six months, on June 1, 2026. NITA is designed to assume policy and operations responsibility for the RTA, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), and Pace, whose boards will now perform advisory roles. Revenue will come, in part, from an RTA sales tax increase of 0.25 percent and by placing motor fuel tax funds under Public Transportation Fund management. Planned changes include implementing a common fare system, standardizing regional performance expectations across the agencies, and improving safety and assistance, which is being spearheaded by a new transit ambassador program. The “People Over Parking Act” included in the bill prevents local jurisdictions from requiring minimum parking standards for developments within a half mile of transit rail stations and bus hubs, or near corridors with high transit frequency, explains the Metropolitan Planning Council website. An amendment allows side-by-side bicycle riding, riding against traffic on one-way streets, and rolling through stop signs if intersections are clear.
At its meeting, the Chicago Plan Commission approved rezoning to accommodate a new community recreation center in North Lawndale, estimated to cost $38 million. It would serve residents of all ages in North and South Lawndale with a host of recreational activities, such as kickball. With parking for 105 vehicles, the center is set to include two indoor turf fields, five full-sized basketball courts, a wrestling studio, a multipurpose room, and other services. The schedule calls for construction to begin in the summer of 2026 and be completed in the fall of 2027. The Commission also reviewed a presentation about the Central Area Plan 2045, the city’s 20-year roadmap for equitable growth downtown. The Central Area Plan (CAP) was adopted by the Plan Commission in November to improve “downtown housing, transportation, economic development, arts and culture and other vital issues,” according to the CAP website. The plan’s development was “coordinated by the Department of Planning and Development and sister agencies and guided by community input through a two-year planning process.” An update to the City’s 2003 Central Area Plan, the site notes that the CAP draws on “previous planning goals and accomplishments, including the City’s 2009 Central Area Action Plan and 2021 Central City Recovery Roadmap.” The Commission also approved an updated athletic complex for DePaul University.
At a meeting that included an executive session, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board of Commissioners discussed a November 18 propane gas explosion at Legion Park, which is located in the 3100 block of Bryn Mawr Ave. Media were not admitted to the executive session. The explosion occurred the day after the neighborhood’s monthly cleanup of the park. Firefighters responded just after noon and extinguished a fire caused by the explosion. No injuries were reported. Neighborhood residents living near the park told WGN News that they have been advocating for the unhoused people living in an encampment and raising concerns about the danger of fires. “This encampment is not safe and poses significant danger to both its residents, nearby neighbors, and first responders,” said Alderman Samantha Nugent (39th Ward) in a prepared statement. “With winter approaching, the risk of more fires will only grow. The City of Chicago needs to secure appropriate housing for its residents and close this encampment immediately.” The Park District prohibits open fires and propane gas tanks, fining violators up to $500. The MWRD’s mission, according to its website, is to “protect the health and safety of the public in its service area, protect the quality of the water supply source (Lake Michigan), improve the quality of water in watercourses in its service area, protect businesses and homes from flood damages, and manage water as a vital resource for its service area.” The Commissioners also accepted an award on behalf of the water reclamation district from the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists.
This information was collected and curated by the Weekly in large part using reporting from City Bureau’s Documenters at documenters.org.