- July 22, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
CHICAGO — City Council overwhelmingly approved a compromise deal Wednesday to speed up permitting for businesses that want to put up signs, awnings or advertisements.
It was a bumpy ride to approval: Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposed the ordinance, which would strip aldermen of ultimate authority over issuing of the permits. But aldermen argued at a meeting last month they know what is best for their ward and are best positioned to deny problematic applications, and they voted to remove the provision from Lightfoot’s business package.
But a revised ordinance was approved Wednesday, with only Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) voting against the measure.
Lightfoot praised the compromise in a news conference after Wednesday’s meeting, saying the previous method to obtain a permit presented an “absolutely unnecessary burden on our small businesses at a time when we should shrinking the red tape, not piling on.”
Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said the…
