Chicago Heights City Council Celebrates Homecoming By Holding 1st Meeting in City Hall Since Pandemic Hit
Chicago Heights City Council Celebrates Homecoming By Holding 1st Meeting in City Hall Since Pandemic Hit (Chicago Heights, IL) – The Chicago Heights City Council celebrated homecoming Wednesday night by holding its first meeting since the Covid-19 shutdown, in its upgraded city council chamber.
The city upgraded its meeting space to accommodate changes brought on by the pandemic, such as recording and streaming council meetings. Alderman George Brassea congratulated city staff for doing an excellent job of renovating the council’s meeting space while the council met at its temporary meeting space on Halsted Avenue.
The Agenda
Moving through its agenda, the council passed an ordinance amending the code regulating the Cook County tax application fees. The amendment allows struggling businesses in the city to apply for a break on their county property taxes, in an effort to help businesses stay open. Under the amended ordinance, the city would still receive a majority of tax monies it is owed while the business receives a break on property taxes from the county.
After approving the code amendment, the council voted to approve an application by Pico
Chemical Co., 400 E. 16 th St., seeking the county tax break. In public comments during the meeting, Susan Harweck told the council that she’s called and spoken with city staff numerous times over the past two years about the coyote problem around her home. She said that coyotes have been a constant problem for her, to the point that she can’t get past them to get in her home. Harweck said she felt that the only city staffer who was willing to help her was Karen Zarante, the mayor’s chief of staff. Zarante said after the meeting that she had spoken with Harweck a few times about the coyote problem, and would reach out to her again.
In other business, the council approved an intergovernmental agreement with School District 170 to purchase the city-owned industrial lot at 1614 Lowe Ave.
Approved Resolutions
Mayor David Gonzalez said the lot would make a good parking facility for the district’s buses. The council also approved two ordinances authorizing the city to take part in the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Public Water Supply Loan Program. Gonzalez said that the loans would help speed up the timeline for the city’s pump station improvement and water storage repainting projects. The low-interest loan program is competitive, Gonzalez said, and the city does have a plan B ready, in case it doesn’t receive the IEPA loans.
Chicago Heights City Council Celebrates Homecoming By Holding 1st Meeting in City Hall Since Pandemic Hit
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