February 9
At its meeting, the Chicago Council on Mental Health Equity learned that the Crisis Assistance Response & Engagement Program (CARE) is scheduled to be attached to the Chicago Fire Department’s fire dispatch in the first half of 2026. CARE has been operating out of the Chicago Department of Public Health, and the move is part of a city-wide expansion of mental health crisis response services. The Council also learned that the Chicago Police Department (CPD) Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) refresher training has been updated to include content on substance use and co-occurring disorders, psychotropic medications, and child and adolescent issues. Officers are required to take the forty-hour basic training. CPD is set to give the council an update in May. The lone public commenter was Judy King, MD. She reminded Council of the achievements of the now-defunct Community Mental Health Board of Chicago (CMHBC) and expressed disappointment that the CMHBC no longer has a role in city mental health services. Dr. King also asked where the public could view the training document and questioned whether the committee was violating the Open Meetings Act by speaking to each other individually outside of subcommittee meetings.
February 10
During its meeting, the Chicago Residential Investment Fund (RIF) Board of Directors considered ethics updates, investment committee concerns, future projects, and committee reports. The investment committee assists the not-for-profit RIF in the use of its $135 million revolving fund. Public commenters expressed strong concern that the investment committee is not subject to the Open Meetings Act, that its members won’t be vetted, and that because the investment committee is advisory, its members are not required to meet the same ethical standards as the full board. The speakers represented several organizations, including the Institute for the Public Good, the Illinois Green New Deal Coalition, People for Community Recovery, and Palenque LSNA. The sustainability advisory committee presented a report. Its job is to recommend sustainability standards that support “high-quality, environmentally friendly housing as well as the fiscal health of the RIF’s investments.” RIF is a new City of Chicago entity designed to “invest in, develop, and manage high-quality, permanently mixed-income housing,” according to its website. The RIF’s first meeting took place last fall.
February 11
Nine public commenters had their say at a Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners meeting. The seven-member board is appointed by the mayor and meets monthly. The Boardvoted on several agenda items at this meeting, including vendor contracts, and approved all consent agenda items. Public commenters raised concerns about funding for competitive swimming programs for underserved athletes and their families, health insurance and public pension funding, tiny-home villages as a solution for homelessness encampments, violence at Douglass Park, and resources for unhoused park residents. Officials gave presentations on Park District initiatives, including Black History Month and Heart Health Month celebrations. Perri Irmer, president and CEO of the DuSable Black History Museum, welcomed the board after the singing of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” This year is the 65th anniversary of the museum, which was founded in 1961 and is the oldest Black history museum in the country. It’s located in Washington Park, about a mile west of the Obama Presidential Center under construction in Jackson Park. The Obama Center is scheduled to open in June.
February 19
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Board of Directors met to discuss transit crime statistics, funding, bridge repairs, and the RTA’s upcoming reorganization into the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA). NITA was established in December of last year as part of an effort to “avert a fiscal cliff,” according to its website. NITA replaces the RTA and assumes additional responsibilities in fare policy, service, and capital planning. The first item discussed at the RTA Board meeting was bridge repairs, which appear to be urgent. A Metra presentation indicated that 210 bridges “absolutely have to be worked on”, and Metra is seeking $230 million to rehabilitate nineteen bridges immediately. “There can’t be a higher priority, I think, than bridge safety,” said Chair Kirk Dillard, who encouraged Metra leadership to talk to the state about funding, especially Governor J.B. Pritzker. Public comments focused on disability services. The first speaker, a member of Metra’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) advisory committee, emphasized the importance of the city’s Rideshare Access Program (RAP), explaining that the program enables disabled people to work and to move around the city without the advance planning Pace requires. The second speaker also lauded RAP but said that disabled riders still face challenges, especially overcrowding. He advocated for more options, and he thanked the RTA Board for defending RAP against funding cuts. The next two speakers commented on the number of monthly rides available to disabled riders. One is grateful for the recent increase to forty but asked that unused rides be allowed to roll over into the next month. The other speaker said that the forty RAP rides he receives per month aren’t enough, forcing him to use the Pace service, which requires reservations at least one day in advance. He would like the Pace service to extend farther south and southwest into the Chicago area. He asked for sixty RAP rides per month in 2027.
During a two-hour meeting, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago Board first observed a minute of silence for Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., the notable civil rights leader and founder of Chicago’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition. He died at the age of eighty-four on February 17. The Board then unanimously approved, adopted, or published and filed twenty-five of twenty-seven agenda items. One item was deleted and one deferred by Board President Kari Steele. Deferred was a co-lease request from the mayor of Crestwood in connection with 4Crestwood, LLC, to allow operation of a video gaming casino. During the public comment period, the mayor explained that without the proposed lease, the current situation imposes a financial burden on the village. He said he had emailed the district about this matter but had not received a reply. Another public commenter and property owner asked to expedite a master intergovernmental agreement with the MWRD for Rolling Meadows to build a fence on his property. He told the board that he is readily available to meet about or discuss the matter. The Board approved an MWRD request to advertise for underground storage tank improvements at various locations with an estimated cost of between $1.2 and $1.5 million. As required by the state’s fire marshal, the tanks must be maintained and have a lifespan of ten to twenty years. The district asked to settle a lawsuit between the district and an electronic plating vendor for an injunction to keep a sewer plugged, and to impose additional civil penalties for violations of a previous Board order. Discussion was postponed.
This information was collected and curated by the Weekly in large part using reporting from City Bureau’s Documenters at documenters.org.