A proposed bill that could give McHenry County residents the power to abolish townships with a majority vote at the polls cleared another hurdle this week in Springfield to make it to the Senate floor.

After a second reading Tuesday, House Bill 4637 passed the Senate Executive Committee, 11-6. Now in the hands of sponsor state Sen. Terry Link, D-Vernon Hills, the bill has advanced to the floor.

Illinois tollway directors will vote this month on 19 recommendations intended to tighten controls over hiring and purchasing policies at the agency following concerns about patronage.

Among the suggestions in a draft report released Thursday are: disclosing names of people on a committee that makes key decisions on hiring consultants and preventing board directors from sitting on that committee, providing more state oversight of no-bid contracts, and requiring directors to publicly state conflicts of interest.

Affordable housing advocates took aim Thursday at the longtime Chicago City Council tradition of allowing aldermen de facto veto power over most development proposals in their wards, filing a federal complaint saying the practice promotes housing discrimination by keeping low-income minorities from moving into affluent white neighborhoods.

The complaint against the city filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says “aldermanic prerogative” helps residents who fear racial change pressure aldermen to block affordable housing projects by publicly raising concerns over school overcrowding, declining property values and other “camouflaged racial expressions.”

Cook County commissioners exchanged hugs and lots of accolades on Thursday as they passed a balanced budget for 2019.

But shortly after, the mood turned sour for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

Pace has become the third Chicago-area transit agency to pass a 2019 budget without fare hikes, though the suburban bus service did cut some routes.

The budget the Pace board approved on Wednesday evening includes $1.7 million to improve on-time performance on some suburban routes and launch the Milwaukee Avenue “Pulse Line,” a high-frequency service that will run between the CTA’s Jefferson Park Blue Line station and the Golf Mill Shopping Center in Niles.

Illinois is rolling out a new state-sponsored savings program aimed at the more than 1.2 million Illinois workers who do not have access to a retirement plan through their employer.

It’s called the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program and it will eventually require all companies in the state with 25 or more employees to automatically enroll them in the program if they do not already offer a qualifying retirement plan such as a 401(k).

The Chicago Park District failed to follow its own volunteer screening rules, leading to many people volunteering without submitting to criminal background checks, the district’s top watchdog found in a review that has spurred the district to begin a major overhaul of its process.

A report released Thursday by Inspector General Will Fletcher said his office recommended the Park District “initiate a top-to-bottom evaluation of its volunteer program and enact policies that ensure the prompt and complete processing and tracking of all volunteers.” As a result of the inspector general’s investigation, the Park District initiated a review of its volunteer procedures, consulted national park associations and began major changes, according to Fletcher’s report.

A forecast that combines colder-than-expected weather and a short supply of natural gas means Chicago-area utility bills may increase more sharply this winter than in recent years.

For millions of suburban residents, a requested $230 million delivery rate increase from Nicor Gas could mean even higher prices next winter — adding $5.36 more per month to most residential bills.

Alden-Hebron School District 19 is in the process of considering a referendum that, if approved, could add up to $945 to an average homeowner’s property tax bill.

The district over the past year has considered whether to move forward with building a new facility for its middle school and high school students, or fund millions in improvements at its existing campus. Voters would have to approve the matter via referendum.