February 25
At its meeting, the 9th Police District Council—Deering heard concerns from public commenters about pedestrian and cyclist safety on Archer Avenue. Council members addressed those concerns and discussed the Archer and Kedzie “Complete Streets” safety program, which is designed to improve safety by installing curb extensions, bus islands, and bike lanes protected by concrete barriers. The initiative is administered by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and construction is “substantially complete” along Kedzie Avenue between Archer Avenue and 28th Street. CDOT was invited to attend the meeting but did not send a representative. Council member and community engagement coordinator Erin Vogel led a discussion in which attendees offered ideas on what safe streets should look like, especially for the most vulnerable community members. The 9th Police District Council—Deering serves the New City, Gage Park, Near South Side, South Lawndale, Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Fuller Park, West Englewood, Englewood, Brighton Park, Douglas, Armour Square, and Lower West Side neighborhoods. Each of the city’s 22 police district councils includes three people chosen in municipal elections every four years. The first elections were in February 2023. The councils have several responsibilities, among which are building stronger connections between police and district residents, working with police to identify and address city problems, and developing policing initiatives. The councils meet each month.
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Board reviewed their 2025 year-end report and passed 2026 expansion plans for mental health equity initiatives and “community-driven” marketing at its meeting. Board members also discussed the significant decline in federal public health funding due to a loss of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, Medicaid cuts, and an increase in grant terminations. In her report, Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige, commissioner of the CDPH, noted that despite city funding allocated to the CDPH increasing $15 million from the previous fiscal year, the department’s budget dropped about $214 million, from $539 million in 2025 to $325 million in 2026. The loss in federal funding over the past five years has been significant: from $1 billion in 2021 to $230 million this year, largely due to the expiration of federal money initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic. When Ige was appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson in 2023, she told WTTW that a priority was to replace some of the fourteen mental health clinics closed by previous administrations. “That is a commitment,” Ige said. “We are firm on that commitment, and we are not going to slow down in trying to achieve that goal. Right now, we’re working with the community representatives to help identify where these clinics should be located.” In January of 2025, the city reopened the Roseland East 115th Street Health Hub. CDPH is charged with providing “guidance, services, and strategies that make Chicago a healthier and safer city,” according to the department’s website. The department offers programming in ten service areas, including behavioral health, chronic disease, emergency preparedness, healthy families, and community health.
March 3
At its meeting, the Chicago City Council Committee on Public Safety heard sharply divided opinions on proposed ordinances both from public commenters and from Committee members, eventually approving one, tabling one, and rejecting a third. Approved was an ordinance raising fines for animal abuse to a flat $5,000. Tabled was an ordinance that would increase penalties for wearing identity-concealing clothing—hoodies, personal protective equipment (PPE), or winter clothing, for example—during the commission of a crime due to concerns about its constitutionality. Aisha Davis, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois, said the ACLU was opposed to the proposed ordinance. The Committee rejected a proposal that would penalize parents for crimes committed by their minor children, even if there was no parental involvement. Davis argued against this proposal, too, which would have also increased fines significantly. Several Committee members and counsel for the city’s law department objected over concerns about constitutionality.
March 5
At its meeting, the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Finance and Administrative Services Committee and Board discussed the Board’s 2026-30 strategic plan, determining that the key points remain relevant and a new strategic plan isn’t necessary. Chief Financial Officer Maribel Rodriguez reported that the CCC is facing a projected $5.2 million deficit for the 2026 financial year. Revenues are projected to be $3.4 million over budget and expenses $8.6 million over budget. The Board’s student trustee, Widedji Deguenon, shared that students are asking for cheaper, healthier food options in the school’s cafeterias as well as longer service hours. Adjunct professors are seeking a contract with CCC. A teacher’s union representative reported that adjuncts receive no more than $30,000 annually, which the representative said is significantly less than what full professors receive. The Board cited “significant unforeseen conditions” in amending an agreement with the Public Building Commission of Chicago to increase the “not to exceed” cost for Malcolm X College renovations to $19.5 million from $17 million. Also approved was issuing up to $90 million in general obligation bonds to fund a variety of initiatives ranging across the colleges.The Commission on Chicago Landmarks and the Permit Review Committee reviewed the proposed landmark status for several locations at back-to-back meetings. Two buildings on the DePaul University campus (Byrne Hall, 2219 N. Kenmore Avenue, and Cortelyou Commons, 2324 North Chalmers Street); the St. Paul Christian Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) Church, 4644 South Dearborn Street, and others were approved, subject to City Council consent. Only a portion of Byrne Hall received landmark status, prompting Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, to express concern. A building at 2420 South Michigan Avenue in the city’s Motor Row District, formerly a showroom for the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company, also received landmark status Apollo’s 2000, an event venue and historic theater designated as a landmark in 2024, received approval for funding to repair deteriorated masonry. Established in 1968, the city’s landmark commission is “responsible for recommending buildings, sites, objects, and districts for legal protection as official Chicago landmarks,” according to its website. Its nine members are appointed by the mayor with the consent of the City Council. Other responsibilities include reviewing proposed changes to current landmarks and “proposed demolitions of structures considered to be historically or architecturally significant.” The commission meets once a month.