2-8-051 City council committee contingency expense allowance.

   (a)   Whenever the city council appropriates sums of money for contingency expenses of a city council committee those funds are to be used for ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in connection with the performance of the governmental function of the committee and subject to the restrictions contained in this section.

   (b)   Expenditures may be made from the allowance of funds for contingency expenses of a city council committee for any of the following purposes, as they relate to the function of the committee:

      (1)   publications and printed materials, including standard reference books, newspaper and periodical subscriptions, research materials and informational publications and brochures that may be useful to the committee in the performance of its official duties;

      (2)   stationary and office supplies;

      (3)   postage, shipping and messenger fees;

      (4)   lease, purchase, maintenance or repair of office equipment, furnishings or decorations which are reasonably necessary for the performance of the official duties of the committee;

      (5)   lease, rental, purchase, maintenance and repair of computer and data processing services, equipment and supplies;

      (6)   lease, rental, purchase, maintenance and repair of printing, photocopying, photographic and audio or video recordkeeping services, equipment and supplies;

      (7)   meeting costs, including rental of space, rental of a public address system, custodial services, food and beverage expenses, and advertisements; provided, that the meeting is open to the public and the primary purpose of the meeting is to discuss matters relating to the official duties of the committee;

      (8)   reimbursement for the cost of public transportation, taxi or livery service when incurred in connection with the performance of the official duties of the committee;

      (9)   transportation and travel-related expenses for travel directly related to the conduct of official business;

      (10)   consultants or professional services incurred in connection with the performance of the official duties of the committee;

      (11)   educational expenses, including courses of study, seminars, information and training programs; provided that the subject matter is directly related to the official duties of the committee;

      (12)   expenses related to the hiring and employment of staff;

      (13)   payment of miscellaneous, ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in connection with the performance of the official duties of the committee.

   (c)   In no event shall any city council committee contingency expense funds be used for any of the following purposes:

      (1)   purchase of real property;

      (2)   capital improvements or other improvements to leased or rented property, which are permanently affixed or attached to the leased or rented property and considered to be a fixture to the property;

      (3)   purchase of a motor vehicle;

      (4)   personal, political or campaign-related expenses;

      (5)   expenses related to any business, profession or occupation in which the committee chairman, vice-chairman or any committee member, or any of their relatives or any member of the committee staff may be engaged;

      (6)   the direct monetary benefit of an alderman or any of his or her relatives (as defined in Section 2-156-010 of this Code) or any person in whom the alderman has a financial interest (as defined in Section 2-156-010 of this Code);

      (7)   advertising, other than advertising for public meetings or for employment of staff as specified in subsection (b)(12) of this section;

      (8)   for trophies, awards, gifts or donations, of any kind.

(Added Coun. J. 7-30-97, p. 50892)

2-8-060 Aldermanic expense vouchers.

   Whenever the city council appropriates sums of money for aldermanic expense allowance, such sums shall be held by the city comptroller in accounts set up for each alderman. Warrants against these accounts shall be released by the comptroller upon receipt by the comptroller of a voucher signed by the appropriate alderman or by his or her designee. Each alderman shall provide to the city comptroller the names and specimen signatures of each of the alderman's designees authorized to sign vouchers pursuant to this section.

(Added Coun. J. 4-12-91, p. 32865)

2-8-065 Discounted or waived fees – Restrictions.

   (a)   Definitions. As used in this section:

   "Fee" means monies of any type, regardless of nomenclature, required to be paid to the City under this Code or under any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder, including, but not limited to, any permit fee, inspection fee, plan review fee, license fee, assessment or lien.

   "Fee waiver" means, regardless of nomenclature: (1) the issuance of a free permit of any type; or (2) the waiver of a fee of any type, including, but not limited to, a waiver of any permit fee, inspection fee, application fee, plan review fee or license fee; (3) an exemption from payment of a fee of any type, including, but not limited to, an exemption from payment of any permit fee, inspection fee, application fee, plan review fee or license fee; (4) a refund of a fee of any type; (5) the cancellation or waiver of a water assessment, sewer assessment or other assessment of any type; or (6) the waiver, cancellation or release of a demolition lien or other lien of any type. The term "fee waiver" includes a whole or partial waiver of the applicable fee.

   "Generally applicable fee waiver" means a fee waiver that, by terms of the authorizing ordinance, applies to any individual or entity meeting the objective criteria set forth in such ordinance.

   "Governmental entity" means any city department or local, state or federal government agency or instrumentality thereof.

   "Individual fee waiver(s)" means a fee waiver that, by terms of the authorizing ordinance, applies to a named individual or entity specified in such ordinance.

   "Person" has the meaning ascribed to the term in section 1-4-090.

   (b)   Prohibition on individual fee waivers. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of this section, no person or city department or member of the city council or other municipal officer shall propose, and no committee of the city council shall consider or recommend, and no officer or employee of the city shall enforce, any ordinance or amendment thereto authorizing an individual fee waiver for any person, including, but not limited to, any not-for-profit corporation.

   (c)   Exemptions. The requirements of this section shall not apply to any ordinance or amendment thereto authorizing individual fee waivers: (1) for any governmental entity, as defined in subsection (a) of this section, or (2) in connection with a block party, or (3) in connection with the waiver under Section 2-120-815 of any fee charged by the City for the issuance of any permit requiring approval of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, or (4) in connection with a Department of Water Management Lead Service Line Replacement Program created within the authority granted in Article IX of Chapter 11-12, or (5) pursuant to the authority granted to the Commissioner of Housing to support neighborhood revitalization efforts under Section 2-44-140, or (6) in connection with a waiver granted under Section 2-45-140.

   (d)   Construction of section. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any person from qualifying for any generally applicable fee waiver authorized under this Code, if the objective criteria set forth in the ordinance authorizing such generally applicable fee waiver are met.

(Added Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. VIII, § 4; Amend Coun. J. 11-24-20, p. 24619, Art. IV, Ch. 2, § 3; Amend Coun. J. 1-26-22, p. 43179, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 11-7-22, p. 55595, Art. VIII, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 12-14-22, p. 58278, Art. VII, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 10-30-24, p. 19677, § 7)

2-8-070 Recordkeeping requirements.

   Each alderman shall keep a complete, detailed and accurate record and documentation or substantiation records acceptable to the United States Internal Revenue Service supporting all expenditures from his or her aldermanic transportation and expense allowance and aldermanic contingency expense allowance. Each alderman shall keep the documentation or substantiation records for at least three years and such documentation or substantiation records may be examined by the comptroller or other appropriate official of the City of Chicago pursuant to the provisions of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, as amended.

   Each alderman shall establish an account at a recognized financial institution in the City of Chicago into which all funds received from the aforementioned expense allowances shall be deposited each month (referred to herein as the "aldermanic contingency account"). The aldermanic contingency account shall be used only for deposits and expenditures of the aforementioned aldermanic expense allowances and no other monies shall be deposited into the aldermanic contingency account.

(Prior code § 4-2.3; Added Coun. J. 6-27-90, p. 17885; Amend Coun. J. 3-31-04, p. 20916, § 4.1)

2-8-071 Employee records.

   Each chairman of a committee of the city council shall maintain a daily record of the attendance of the employees of the committee. The record shall include the following: the date and day of the week; the name of each employee; a separate notation for each employee indicating whether the employee was in attendance at his or her work place. If an employee is indicated as absent, the record shall also indicate whether the absence is due to illness, vacation or other cause, and whether the employee is to be paid for that day. The record shall be certified as correct by the chairman of the committee or by any employee of the committee designated by the chairman. Records required under this section shall be available for inspection in the offices of the respective committees during regular business hours in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, as amended. A committee chairman who knowingly and intentionally fails to maintain records required by this section, or who knowingly and intentionally certifies inaccurate or incomplete records, shall be censured and removed as chairman of the affected committee; provided, however, that such removal shall occur only after a hearing on the alleged violation before the appropriate committee of the city council. Upon completion of the hearing, the committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the full city council, which shall determine by a majority of all the members entitled by law to be elected whether a violation has occurred and whether the violation was knowing and intentional.

(Added Coun. J. 7-13-95, p. 4446)