Chicago City Council Meeting On April 15 To Be Held Via Videoconference
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With Illinois still under a "stay at home" order, and authorities stressing the importance of social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, next week's Chicago City Council meeting will be held by videoconference.
The meeting on April 15 is a continuation of the City Council meeting from March 18, when Mayor Lori Lightfoot immediately recessed the meeting because only three aldermen were present.
The mayor's office said next week's meeting will have an abbreviated agenda, focused mainly on adopting rules for holding future council and committee meetings by videoconference.
The mayor's office said a more substantive meeting "will occur in the near future." According to the City Clerk's website, another City Council meeting is currently scheduled for April 22. The Public Safety Committee is scheduled to hold a virtual meeting two days earlier, most likely to consider Lightfoot's appointment of former Dallas Police Chief David Brown as the next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
The April 15 City Council meeting will still include an opportunity for public comment. Anyone interested in providing public comment during the meeting can either sign up online starting Monday, April 13, at 12:01 a.m. at www.chi.gov/PublicComment,or by calling the council's sergeant at arms at 312-744-6800, starting Monday, April 13, at 12:01 a.m., and leaving a voice mail message.
Submissions must be sent no later than 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14. Public comment will be limited to 30 minutes total, with each speaker getting up to 3 minutes. Speakers will be chosen at random, and notified between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, with directions on how to participate.
People also can submit written comments to public_comment@cityofchicago.org. Written comments will be accepted between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, and will be sent to aldermen to review.
As with normal City Council meetings, people also can watch the April 15 meeting online, at the City Clerk's website.
