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“If anybody questions my commitment — I’ll say it like this: I don’t believe anybody in Chicago is questioning my commitment to this mission,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. The mayor said evaluating the city’s full commitment of money and resources to the migrant crisis before deciding what to do next is smart leadership.
The current Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption Program allows people 65 and older who have a total household income of $65,000 or less and meet other qualifications, to defer all or part of the real estate taxes on their residence. This bill would expand the eligibility pool for senior freeze applicants by raising the maximum income limitation to $85,000.
Expungement is an option for people who were charged but not convicted of a crime, or for those convicted of some low-level offenses. “The creation of this department is not merely an organizational change,” Clerk Iris Martinez said, “it is a strike toward breaking down barriers to access to justice.”
Representatives from KS StateBank are threatening to take possession of more than a dozen village vehicles, which includes six police cruisers. “I have never, ever seen the abuse that this mayor (Tiffany Henyard) is laying on the feet of her citizens, ever,” said Burt Odelson, legislative counsel for the Village of Dolton Board of Trustees.
Residents say it’s unprecedented to place a homeless shelter in a building where commercial businesses are already established. They also say they are concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the project. “It’s a concern for safety, it’s a concern for property values, it’s a concern of what does this look like,” said resident Tara Pease. “I’m very concerned that there is a non-congregate men’s shelter going above a 4 a.m. bar.”
Illinois ranked 48th in the State of the States report with a per-taxpayer debt burden of more than $41,000. Chicago also fared poorly, ranking near the bottom of U.S. cities for taxpayer burden. The report noted that 28 states, including Illinois, didn’t have enough money to pay their bills in 2022 with a combined $938 billion of debt.
Municipal leaders say without some relief, they may have to increase taxes on local residents to continue making payments and providing services.
The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 includes various provisions, including a child tax credit, breaks for small businesses and affordable housing. LaHood said the legislation restores a 12.5% allocation increase to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit that expired in 2021.
In 2014 more than 590,000 Illinois voters petitioned for an amendment that would have imposed an eight-year limit on state lawmakers staying in office. Despite term limits being supported by 80% of Illinoisans, it was struck down in court when the Illinois Supreme Court ruled only “structural and procedural” changes may be made to the constitution. State Rep. Tim Ozinga has filed House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 18 to expand potential amendments beyond issues that are “structural and procedural.”
Lou Sandoval, the President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce said the bill improves the BIPA issues. “It’s been difficult for businesses because it isn’t mal intended in terms of what they’ve sought to do,” Sandoval said. “I think it’s just that business wasn’t given a voice at the table and now we’re trying to undo a piece of legislation that was very one sided.” He says businesses are cognizant of data privacy, and shouldn’t be penalized for the use of modern technology.
One of Rogers’ most recent contributors was Matthew Tully, the attorney who last month argued in front of the Board of Review that the Arlington Heights site now owned by the Bears should receive a cut in its property assessment.
Johnson County Sheriff Pete Sopczak asked his county’s board to pass an ordinance requiring prior notification before any migrant is dropped off. Johnson County would be following in the footsteps of Aurora, which passed an ordinance requiring at least five days’ notice to the city for a bus planning to transport migrants. “You can’t just show up at two o’clock in the morning when no one’s around and dump ’em off. And now what are these guys gonna do,” Sopczak asked.
In total, the governor’s office said the officials estimated $321 million is needed for this calendar year on top of previous committed funds. Taxpayers already spent more than $500 million on the migrant crisis in 2023. Gov. JB Pritzker announced in November an additional $160 million. In Thursday’s announcement of more money for the coming fiscal year, Pritzker said without action from the federal government, “it’s clear the state, county, and city will have to do more to keep people safe.”
More than 40 mayors wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ur Jaddou, calling for automatic extensions for existing work permits of at least 540 days. “Cities and counties across the United States are quickly running out of shelter space. If hundreds of thousands of already-employed immigrants lose their jobs, they are likely to lose their homes, and this will result in cities and counties experiencing even greater difficulty providing shelter space and additional services to the public,” the letter reads.
“Local school councils were created to give residents a strong voice in their school communities, and are made up of elected individuals who are trusted to act in the best interests of each school’s student body. In our experience, members are thoughtful, dedicated individuals who are thorough and transparent in their decision-making. They are also vocal advocates for students’ learning and safety.”
Court records show Jonathan Minter, 35, failed to appear for a hearing December 1. Judges William Gamboney and Ursula Walowski issued 12 arrest warrants for him days later. Chicago police and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force found him Tuesday morning at a hotel he checked in the day before using another person’s Visa and Mastercard. In total, prosecutors Wednesday filed six new felonies against him: four counts of identity theft, two counts of burglary, and one count of attempted burglary.
Said Justin Marlowe, a professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, “Some places have been very able to absorb the migrant population, either on a temporary basis or even on a longer-term basis. Other places have really struggled. They don’t have that capacity, or they’ve found ways to move migrants to other communities that do. A lot of that variation reflects the fact that cities really aren’t designed to provide these kinds of services. They don’t have the fiscal tools, they’re not able to provide these kinds of services at scale.”
The UAW made strong wage gains after a six-week strike at selected plants run by Ford, General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis. The strike included about 4,600 workers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant, which makes the Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator and Police Interceptor SUVs. Top-scale factory workers won 33% raises in a contract that runs through April of 2028.
Rapid response officers conducted at least 36,000 traffic stops in the first half of 2023, accounting for nearly two-thirds of their logged activity. That’s nearly double the portion that traffic stops made up in 2019. “This is not a resource shortage problem,” said Inspector General Deborah Witzburg. “This is about resource allocation.”
The Governor’s Office announced the plan after long-term planners determined and additional $321 million is needed to maintain shelter and services for migrants for the remainder of the year. In addition, Cook County taxpayers will kick in an additional $70 million for the joint funding plan, totaling $250 million. The funding is in addition to $478 million the state has spent since Chicago declared itself a “sanctuary city” from U.S. immigration laws, and attracted migrants who illegally crossed the southern U.S. border.
The Teamsters union has not announced a strike date, though workers overwhelmingly authorized a strike. Gov. JB Pritzker said the Teamsters are one of the only unions state agencies don’t have a deal with.
Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski fears the report only signals more trouble for the Land of Lincoln. “This leadership doesn’t care,” he said. “In fact, they like it this way because they want more money to fund the initiatives they have. They didn’t seem to be very concerned when Boeing left or Caterpillar or Citadel. If they did, you would see them do something about lowering spending and lowering rat
Consumer advocates are pushing for a change to state law that would bar utilities from collecting money from customers for those expenditures, liability insurance covering executives and for the cost associated with filing rate cases. The bill also explicitly bans charging customers for political contributions, a practice already disallowed in Illinois. The proposal, contained in Senate Bill 2885 and House Bill 5061, would also require public hearings whenever a gas, electric, water or sewer utility requests a rate increase.
The state recently consolidated all police and fire pension accounts into just two separate accounts, cutting down on administrative fees. Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said extending the ramp could leave room for more positive reforms down the line. “It’s been a success story, but it needs time to evolve and grow,” Moore Wolfe said. “They’re not paying the fees, we’re not paying the fees, and we’re getting more bang for the buck.”
Jim Dey: “Illinois has recently awarded a $4 billion, multi-year contract to a Pennsylvania firm to provide medical services to prison inmates…It’s a rare prison that provides a warm, welcoming and nurturing working environment for medical professionals who have multiple employment options. So what’s Wexford to do when even generous pay is not a sufficient incentive to draw applicants? What Illinois and Wexford have done — and probably will continue to do — is the best that it can under the sorry circumstances, knowing that it won’t be enough and that criticism and lawsuits will continue.”
Gotion is the same company slated to build a similar EV battery plant in Manteno, Illinois, subsidized with $536 million from the state.
“Given current political dynamics in Washington D.C. and the upcoming presidential election, we do not consider additional federal support likely,” the S&P strategists led by Felix Winnekens wrote. “Therefore, cities on the front line of migrant and asylum seeker inflows will have to face the uncertainty of rising costs without a guarantee of revenues to offset the expenditures.”
Foxx has not endorsed either candidate — retired Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke or Clayton Harris III— but Harris has been endorsed
State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray proposed House Bill 4876 that would amend the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act to say an “abused child” is one whose parents deny abortion services, or “gender-affirming services.” A measure Gov. JB Pritzker signed last year amending the Reproductive Health Act doesn’t define “gender-affirming services,” but does describe the treatment of gender dysphoria “or the affirmation of an individual’s gender identity or gender expression.”
State Sen. Chapin Rose wants a balanced budget, but with a billion dollar deficit, Rose is concerned on how that can even be. “The questions we’re going to be asking is, ‘how do you plan, Governor Pritzker, to close that Gap? Who’s back are you going to shift this on to,’ he said. “As always, every new budget year we go into we’re looking for places where we can find common ground, but if we’re going to be hitting the developmentally disabled to pay for all this immigrant spending then you’re not going to find it from our party.”
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