City Council passes migrant funding measure, $1.25 billion economic development and housing bond

Alyssa Donovan
·2 min read
13

CHICAGO — After delaying the vote earlier this week, Chicago City Council approved two measures that will leave a hefty dent in city finances.

After lengthy discussion and heated debate Friday, City Council approved $70 million in funding for migrants, and a $1.25 billion bond for economic development and housing.

It was a mixed bag of alderpeople for and against funding for migrants in Chicago.

“We have 3,200 children in our shelter system,” said Ald. Jessie Funetes (26th Ward). “Where will they go when we can no longer operate our shelters?”

During the special City Council meeting, several alderpeople voiced their frustration on approving Mayor Brandon Johnson’s request for $70 million in funding to help care for new migrants coming to the city, while others stated it was the city’s responsibility to help.

“We have to take care of our problems first,” said Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward)

“This $70 million is the responsible thing to do,” said Ald. Nicole Lee (11th Ward)

After several lengthy speeches, the measure passed by a vote of 30-18, with Johnson saying he plans to take the money out of a surplus fund and it will be used to cover food and operational costs of shelters.

More from Alyssa: New intelligence center for gun crimes opens in Chicago

Still, some alderpeople said the $70 million just feels like a bandaid, and expect more requests for migrant funding from the city to come in the future.

“Which still is not going to be enough money to get us through the rest of the year. Why?” said Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward). “Because we’re anticipating that we’re going to have about 5 thousand people a week coming… starting in just a few days.”

The second measure, the $1.25 billion bond for economic development and housing, faced several failed motions to put more aldermanic oversight into its execution before the Johnson-proposed plan passed.

“To say yes to economic development in Chicago, acknowledging it’s the very backbone of our city,” Fuentes said. “We’re going to vote yes for housing as a right, a bond issuance that understands that we have to house people that are currently living in tents.”

ShotSpotter measure put on hold

A third measure was expected to be discussed at City Council Friday regarding the city’s ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology, but that was tabled until a future City Council meeting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.