Chicago City Council, demystified


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Chicago City Council consists of 50 elected alders and meets monthly to shape the city. The council works with Brandon Johnson, the Mayor, and Anna Valencia, the City Clerk.

Chicago Councilmatic tracks all things related to Chicago City Council:

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Note that while the official term for a City Council member is “alderman,” Councilmatic uses “alder” for both brevity and gender neutrality.

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Citywide issues

The Mayor proposes most city-wide policies. These include business transactions, changes to the municipal code, bond issuance and appointments.

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Local issues

At the local level, matters like land use, signs, street parking, business permits, and other residents issues require the local Alder's support.

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Upcoming Meetings


Next City Council meeting

Wed 4/16/2025
10:00a.m.
Council Chambers, City Hall 121 N LaSalle St, Chicago, IL

Details

Committee meetings

Wed 04/16 - Joint Committee: Finance; Housing and Real Estate

Fri 05/09 - Committee on Public Safety

Tue 05/13 - Committee on License and Consumer Protection


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Latest Council Meeting

At the latest City Council meeting on Apr 7th, council members took action on 9 pieces of legislation, including 9 that are non-routine.

One of the more unusual aspects of Chicago City Council is the volume of ordinances that are introduced and passed every month. Most of these are routine items like sign permits, damaged vehicle claims, sidewalk cafe approvals and honorifics.

To help sort through all of this, we classify all legislation and tag it appropriately. If something doesn’t look like a routine piece of legislation, we tag it as Non-Routine to make it easier to discover.

Non-Routine Activity

Communication F2025-0016224 None

Call for Special City Council Meeting on April 7, 2025 for consideration of appointment of new Alderperson of 35th Ward, replacing Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, who has resigned; and amendment of ...

4/07/2025 - Introduced
Non-Routine Council Matters Committe Appointments

Appointment A2025-0016379 Approved

Appointment of Alderperson Anthony Quezada (35th Ward)

4/07/2025 - Approved
Non-Routine City Matters Appointment

Appointment A2025-0016379 Approved

Appointment of Alderperson Anthony Quezada (35th Ward)

4/07/2025 - Approved
Non-Routine City Matters Appointment

Appointment A2025-0016379 Approved

Appointment of Alderperson Anthony Quezada (35th Ward)

4/07/2025 - Approved
Non-Routine City Matters Appointment

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Legislative topics

Since the last council meeting

After Apr 7th, City Council introduced 607 new pieces of legislation, including 55 that are non-routine.

Non-routine legislation introduced

Ordinance O2024-0010070 Passed

Collective Bargaining Agreement with International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 700 (Supervising Police Communication Operators/SPCSOs) and City of Chicago

12/27/2030 - Signed
Non-Routine City Matters Labor Agreement

Placed On File F2025-0016048 Active

Resignation of Alderperson Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward)

4/16/2025 - Introduced
Non-Routine Unclassified

Ordinance O2025-0016084 Active

Amendment of Annual Appropriation Ordinance to transfer of funds within 31st Ward Aldermanic Expense Account for Year 2025

4/16/2025 - Introduced
Non-Routine City Matters Annual Appropriation

Communication F2025-0016130 None

Notification of sale of City of Chicago General Multi-Family Housing Revenue Bonds (The Ave SW Project) Series 2025

4/16/2025 - Introduced
Non-Routine City Matters Finances Bonds

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