Chicago City Council to take up renter rules, data centers proposal
The Chicago City Council is getting ready to take up renter rules and data centers on Wednesday.
Rental rules face City Council vote
Two competing plans to change Chicago's rental rules could face a City Council vote.
Earlier this month, a City Council committee backed Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposal to increase protections for Chicago renters, after he dropped a key provision opposed by landlords, but the mayor's critics plan to press on with a competing proposal.
Johnson's original Protecting Renters Ordinance banned landlords from charging tenants move-in fees or other so-called "junk fees," created a citywide rental registry funded by new fees on landlords, introduced a new "tenant bill of rights," and created a new city Bureau of Rental Housing Services within the Department of Housing.
Earlier this month, he removed a provision that would have limited the reasons landlords could evict tenants or decline to renew their leases.
The competing fair ordinance would expand the definition of a small landlord. It would also create a rental registry without registration fees and target illegal lockouts and security deposit abuse.
Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) voted against the mayor's plan in committee. He says alders still have questions about it.
Each rental plan would need 26 votes to pass.
City Council to address data centers
Meanwhile, there could also be a vote for more transparency from data centers, and an introduction of a proposal to pause new ones.
One proposed measure would remove an exception that exempts data centers from certain public building performance ratings.
Meanwhile, Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) says she plans to introduce a temporary moratorium on data centers. That proposal would begin its path through City Council on Wednesday.
