[remote or in-person] Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development

Politics

Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024
10:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. CDT

121 N LaSalle St Chicago, IL 60602 (Directions)

You have the option of documenting this meeting in person or remotely.

If you choose to attend in person, an additional hour will be added to your total assignment hours. You may be asked to provide government-issued photo ID and to go through a metal detector/security check.

Please note that there may be increased security and restrictions; use a clear bag if possible and leave large water bottles and thermoses at home.

If you choose to document remotely, the meeting will be live-streamed at https://www.chicityclerk.com/.

At this link, scroll down to “Meeting Notices.” Look for “Watch now” and click on the link with the meeting title to go to a livestream page.

If you don’t see a link for the meeting, you may be early or the meeting may be starting late. Wait a few moments and try refreshing your Internet tab.

The end time listed on this assignment is an estimation based on the duration of past meetings of this type.

Check the source website for additional information

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Angela Ybarra

The committee discussed data residency and storage within the City of Chicago through ordinance SO2024-00082.

View notes

Live reporting by Parker Garlough

The committee discussed data residency and storage within the City of Chicago through ordinance SO2024-00082.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough

Hi, I’ll be live-tweeting today's Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development meeting for #CHIdocumenters @CHIdocumenters

09:55 AM Sep 11, 2024 CDT

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 2/28

The meeting has been called to order.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 3/28

It will begin with 10 public commenters.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 4/28

Sam Mulroe, Vice President of Clinical Services at A Safe Haven, spoke in favor of a municipal code amendment that he believed would increase jobs.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 5/28

Zoe (missed their last name) spoke against the Democratic Party and claimed that technology job salaries are decreasing as a result of Indian immigrants.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 6/28

Jessica Jackson: "My concern is to make sure, through all the changes that are being made, are that Black people are getting their jobs. I'm not talking about Black and brown. Brown is getting theirs."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 7/28

Brad Tietz, Vice President of Government Relations at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, spoke against the data residency ordinance. "Data residency is a fundamentally flawed concept, especially for a jurisdiction as small as a city."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 8/28

A speaker from an environmental organization opposed the ordinance and called instead for mandatory energy and water efficiency forecasting, anual reporting, standards for new construction, and participation in demand-response programs

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 9/28

Keith Allen of Black Men United spoke in favor of the data residency ordinance because it would create jobs and generate revenue. "New developments like this are essential. We can lower the tax burden on small businesses and working people."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 10/28

Craig Huffman, CEO of Metro Edge Development Partners, said he was the only African-American developing a data center in Chicago. He compared the data residency ordinance to the positive effects of 25 and 5.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 11/28

Alderman Ray Lopez called for a moment of silence to honor victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 12/28

The committee approved the reappointments of Laurentino Ramirez, Alex Alemis, Jose Chavez, William Shepherd, and Christopher Murphy, and the appointments of Richard Buckwalter, Daniel Ehle, and Brandy’An Amafala-Marquad “Katiana Shavonte."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 13/28

@ChicagoDPD Financial Planning Analyst Antoinette Maxwell spoke in support of a tax incentive for a Hubbard Street property in the Kinzie industrial corridor. The incentive would mitigate costs to renovate the building, which would be used for landscaping and decor assembly.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 14/28

The estimated tax abatement is about $100,000, of which the City would be responsible for about $24,000.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 15/28

Alderman Daniel La Spata: "It takes creativity" to make manufacturing work in the Kinzie corridor. "I'm really proud of what's happening here today."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 16/28

The committee recommended the passing of the tax incentive.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 17/28

Robert Bumpers, @ChicagoDPD Financial Planning Analyst, presented a request for a tax incentive for a 24th St. property, which would compensate the applicant for remediating the abandoned property.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 18/28

The estimated tax abatement is about $423,000. The City's share would be about $98,000.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 19/28

The committee recommended passing the item.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 20/28

Aaron Fogo, @ChicagoDPD Financial Planning Analyst, requested the approval of a tax incentive for an 87th St property. It is the first 7D tax incentive application, a category used to encourage the operation of grocery stories in food deserts.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 21/28

The estimated tax abatement is $4.6 mil.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 22/28

The committee voted to approve the passing of the incentive.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 23/28

Patrick Hall, General Counsel & Managing Deputy Procurement Officer, stated that the Department of Procurement Services is officially neutral on the data residency ordinance.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 24/28

Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth raised concerns about the environmental impact of the ordinance. A working group will discuss it, but it is not directly addressed in the text of the ordinance.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 25/28

Alderman Gilbert Villegas: "We can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Prioritizing a revenue generator, even if it may have some negative impacts, is important, he said.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 26/28

Alderperson Nicole Lee, to Alderperson Villegas: "I don't understand why there's been such a lopsided number of data centers built in the suburbs vs the city. We need to pull levers to make building data centers in the city more attractive."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 27/28

Clarifying his statement of neutrality, Hall said, "the edits allowed us to say, can we achieve best technology practices? We determined that we could." However, many other aspects of the ordinance were outside of the organization's area of expertise.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 28/28

The committee voted to pass the motion to amend. The meeting is adjourned.

View thread

Agency Information

Chicago City Council

chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov

(312) 744-3166

@ChiCouncil

See Documenters reporting

The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago and consists of the Mayor and Aldermen elected from each of the City’s fifty wards. Source

If you attend a meeting in person, be prepared to go through a security checkpoint and show photo ID.

Meetings are also livestreamed at https://www.chicityclerk.com/.

At this link, scroll down to “Meeting Notices.” Look for “Watch now” and click on the link with the meeting title to go to a livestream page. If you don’t see a link for the meeting, you may be early or the meeting may be starting late. Wait a few moments and try refreshing your Internet tab.

Recordings of past City Council meetings may be found here: https://vimeo.com/user100351763/videos/sort:date.

See also: “What to Expect at a Meeting of Chicago’s City Council” via the Better Government Association.