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Crain's Chicago Business: Chicago doesn't air council committee meetings. That could change.
Imagine if a budding entrepreneur was hoping to open a roller coaster in the empty lot next door to your home and the only way to know what would happen during your local government’s zoning meeting was to attend in person, in the middle of the day. You couldn’t watch live from the comfort of your home, nor could you wait for the recording of the hearing to be online. Of course, this is not a hypothetical—the Chicago City Council does not broadcast nor record their committee hearings. Only their full council meetings, which typically happen only once a month, are broadcast and recorded.
Northwest Herald: McHenry City Council continues impact fee reduction discussion
McHenry continues the debate on whether to reduce its impact fees to spur residential development in its stagnant housing complexes.
City Council members last week had mixed opinions on a plan to reduce impact fees by 50 percent for two years to jump-start development in at least two housing complexes where homebuilding has stalled since the economic downturn.
Bloomington Pantagraph: State Board considering options to address 'critical' teacher shortage in Illinois
The Illinois State Board of Education is considering a seven-point proposal to address what the state school superintendent is calling a “critical” teacher shortage in the state.
“The broad context is that the crisis of underfunding education in Illinois and the deep inequity has created conditions that led to a critical shortage of teachers in Illinois classrooms,” said Tony Smith. “We need to have a broad response in multiple areas.”
State Journal-Register: Teachers will get new retirement savings plan eventually
Downstate teachers will get a new option for saving for retirement, although it will be several months before the program is operating.
Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed House Bill 5137, which requires Teachers’ Retirement Systems to establish a voluntary deferred compensation program that allows teachers to save money that will supplement their regular teacher pension on retirement.