Chicago City Council to vote on expanded double-parking camera program

So, Chicago aldermen are meeting today to go over several important topics impacting the city. Saquon has been going through the agenda, and she joins us now this morning. What do we need to know, Saqu? Well, I can tell you guys, if you drive in Chicago, there's definitely some new rules that you might want to know about to avoid getting any sort of ticket in your mailbox and of course any sort of fines as well, guys. Today at City Hall, we know aldermen are expected to vote and pass the Smart Street Camera Enforcement Program. Basically, the automated cameras mounted on poles and CTA buses will now catch and ticket double parkers across the city by automatically snapping photos of vehicles blocking lanes and meters. Fine for double parking, even just for a minute, could cost you a ninety dollar ticket, and if you block a dedicated bike lane, you're looking at two hundred fifty bucks in fines. What drivers need to know also is that this is spreading out of downtown and into the neighborhoods as well. So far, the city has handed out nearly seventeen thousand citations, collecting more than two and a half million dollars in fines. Delivery trucks from Amazon, FedEx, UPS alone paid almost half a million dollars of that total. Supporters say this new effort is all about safety and keeping buses moving. And if approved today, enforcement would expand out in phases, reaching faster impulsion by mid twenty twenty seven, Devin Pulaski later that year, and covering more than three hundred miles of bike lanes by twenty twenty eight. There is a lot of tension right now between aldermen and the mayor. Look, over the weekend, Mayor Brandon Johnson issued his fourth veto as mayor, blocking an ordinance passed by the council that would have required thirty votes to issue new city debt instead of a simple majority of twenty six. With debt payments and pensions now taking up forty percent of Chicago's operating budget, aldermen say they want more control over spending, passing that measure originally thirty two to fifteen. The mayor, however, argues restricting borrowing neglected disadvantaged communities. The motivation behind that decision I do call into question, and at a time in which the people of Chicago are calling for investments, for City Council to make that you know essentially make it a barrier is something that we're not going to stand for. Right, we're not going to go back to a time in which the West and South sides of the city of Chicago you know will be ignored. Well, to override the mayor's veto today, aldermen do need a total of 34 votes. So far in his term, we understand none of the mayor's previous vetoes have ever been overridden. Once again, today's city council meeting is set to kick off at around 10 o'clock. As always, it'll kick off with that public comment period. Guys, back to you. Thank you, Say, so much for breaking that down. A few other items here that council is positioned to look at: the Divi deal. This city plans to extend its contract with Divi operator Lyft through 2033. This would add more bikes and more scooters and expand service in the city, but not everybody is happy with this deal. Scooter share company Lime is warning the expansion with Divi could force Lime out of Chicago. So we'll let you know what happens there. City council also expected to vote on the 260.8 million dollar payout for the largest police misconduct settlement in history. This is for 16 wrongful conviction cases all linked to Reynaldo Guvara, the officer accused of forcing false confessions going all the way back to the 80s. The mayor's office says these 17 people spent a combined 384 years behind bars for murders they did not do. Their convictions got vacated after all of that time. So a vote on Mayor Johnson's pick for the city's top attorney has been delayed. A city council committee was supposed to vote yesterday. Law professor Renee Hatcher has been acting corporation counsel since October 1st. Some aldermen though pushed back, claiming that she doesn't have enough litigation experience or experience to manage more than 300 attorneys in the department. Johnson defended her appointment, praising her experience in civil rights and public service and as an attorney and educator.