The following Resolution was adopted by the city council on March 28, 1956 (Coun. J. p. 2421):
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago, being the county seat of Cook County, Illinois, has become the second largest city in the nation; and
WHEREAS, The increased activities on the part of both the citizen and his local government have created an urgent need for modern public buildings and facilities so that government services can be conducted efficiently and economically; and
WHEREAS, Many of the present public buildings now used to service the people are outgrown, outmoded and greatly overcrowded; and
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago, to meet the needs of a growing population, has been compelled to expend large sums of money annually in the rental, operation and maintenance of additional building space to house the various branches, departments and divisions of government; and
WHEREAS, The dispersement of the departments and agencies of government causes confusion and considerable waste of time and effort for citizens doing business with government; and
WHEREAS, Many public records, wills, conveyances, vital statistics, court decrees, and other similar documents in use in the conduct of daily business are now filed in poorly protected and overcrowded spaces, and in widely separated locations because of the lack of adequate public buildings; and
WHEREAS, The cause of good government will be served if modern buildings, centrally located, were constructed for the various governmental agencies of the City of Chicago;
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved, That there is need and it is in the best interest of the public that a public building commission be organized to exercise the powers and authority prescribed by "An Act to authorize the creation of Public Building Commissions and to define their rights, powers, and duties", enacted by the 69th General Assembly of the State of Illinois, and there is hereby created the public building commission of Chicago. The mayor shall, within ten days after the date of the adoption of this resolution, cause a copy of the resolution to be published once in a daily newspaper published in the City of Chicago, being the county seat of Cook County, Illinois. The mayor is authorized to take all other necessary action as provided by law in order to perfect said commission.
Be It Further Resolved, That the public building commission adopt as minimum performance standards the most recent ASHRAE/IES standard energy efficiency guidelines for all new public buildings; and
Be It Further Resolved, That the taxing authorities seeking funding through public building commission bonds adopt these same most recent ASHRAE/IES standard energy efficiency guidelines as minimum standards; and
Be It Further Resolved, That the public building commission provide projected energy budgets for all new buildings to the Chicago City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy; and
Be It Further Resolved, That nothing in this resolution shall release anyone from the requirements of the Chicago Building Code.
(Prior code Ch. 198A; Amend Coun. J. 7-31-90, p. 19396; Amend Coun. J. 11-8-12, p. 38872, § 18; Amend Coun. J. 11-20-19, p. 9510, Art. II, § 9)