Thread by @RuizBaldin

Hi! I'm Carolina, and I'll be live-tweeting the afternoon portion of today's budget hearing for Fiscal Year 2026 at the Chicago City Council's Committee on Budget and Government Operations for @CHIDocumenters. The focus today will be on Economic Development & Arts #ChiDocumenters

If you'd like to read about the morning portion here's the link to the thread by @janasimoviic:

https://x.com/janasimoviic/status/1985733225176539215

Here's a link to the agenda: …storagev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachm…

The afternoon portion of the meeting resumed at 1:30 pm

The Committee on Budget and Government Operations will continue to discuss issues related to the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP)

6th Ward Alder William Hall asked about BACP's plans to help people who want to start businesses and BACP Commissioner Ivan Capifali said he will continue to support it and partner with local chambers

32nd Ward Alder Scott Waguespack asked about the average length of the process of business licensing and Commissioner Capifali said it has been reduced from 49 days to a little less than a month, and that he plans to reduce it even more

44th Ward Alder Bennett Lawson asked the chair for information about how many of the 62 tip wage complaints were sustained. He also said he thinks hemp should be regulated like cannabis

Ward 20th Alder Taylor Jeanette Taylor asked why there isn't a rule saying hemp can be sold only in smoke stores, not convenience stores or other stores. She also asked about license revocation for businesses that sell hemp to minors

Commissioner Capifali said he wants to improve regulation and licensing and that he is willing to talk further about specific locations in her community

16th Ward Alder Stephanie Coleman asked how BACP punishes illegal food trucks. Commissioner Capifali said BACP investigates it. Alder Coleman said she is concerned about illicit trucks that operate after hours

1st Ward Alder Daniel La Spata asked whether there is a collective inspection of Public Place and Amusement (PPA) licenses and requested more support from BACP. Commissioner Capifali said the department plans to follow up on PPA locations more

7th Ward Alder Greg Mitchell asked about what BACP is doing to address complaints, like the ones related to gas stations, by ward, in terms of legislation, policies and procedures. Commissioner Capifali said BACP must address issues on a per-ward basis.

Alder Greg Mitchell also said "cut the tape" initiatives to help businesses get a licence quicker have become detrimental to the community and said it would be important that BACP acts proactively to achieve "real, tangible success"

17th Ward Alder David Moore said he would like to have more control over businesses that sell "drug paraphernalia," like the ones that sell pipes using a tobacco license

28th Ward Alder and Chair of the City Council's Committee on the Budget and Government Jason Ervin said he has noticed there is a consensus among alderpeople on the need for more enforcement. He is not sure if it relates to the need for more personnel or resources

The meeting will transition to the Department of Planning and Development (DPD)

A presentation shows that DPD saw an 8.5% decrease in funding - a decrease of $11.27 million compared to the previous year, which was due to the extinction of ARPA funding

The Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) Ciere Boatright introduced DPD's team and listed recent achievements

44th Ward Alder Bennett Lawson and Commissioner Boatright discussed the $1.5 billion for housing through a new Housing and Economic Development bond program. Commissioner Boatright said the money will be used across the city, not only TIF districts

Commissioner Boatright said the lack of ARPA funds will affect small businesses, but that she hopes to use other funds. She said TIF is powerful, ARPA is useful, but they're not the only things available
chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2025…

3rd Ward Alder Pat Dowell said she was uncomfortable with the contract involving the Urban Land Institute, which sets a "contract maximum" of $900,000,00 while the actual budget is $5,000,00. DPD team explained that the remaining is not set aside

19th Ward Alder Mathew O'Shea complained about the lack of transparency on TIF areas that will lose money because of the recent sweep, and Commissioner Boatright said she is happy to talk about specific projects and the need for incremental revenue

Alder O'Shea and Commissioner Boatright also discussed the 8,000 vacant lots DPD is trying to sell, especially on the South and West sides. Commissioner Boatright said DPD raised $2 million with lots sales in 2024, with $3.9 million projected by the end of 2025

DPD will organize data on how much of these revenues translates into new development