January 5, 2010 :: Business, Legislative

City of Chicago Offers Assistance for Small Businesses

Stay tuned to the LPCC's website for more information on the status of these ordinances.

Updated: January 5, 2010

Explanations of the ordinances introduced at the December 2009 City Council meeting and a link to each ordinance relevant to the retail industry is found below.  These Ordinances will be voted on at the January 13, 2010 meeting of the City Council.

City of Chicago On-Premise Sign Amnesty Ordinance of 2009

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8375.pdf
 
Beginning April 15, 2010 and ending on October 15, 2010, the city will waive fees for building permit signs, zoning reviews and the first year of the public way use permit.  Any citations issued prior to the amnesty period will have both the amount due and prosecution waived.  Amnesty will not apply in circumstances where a person is a party to any criminal investigation or criminal or civil litigation going through any court in Illinois.  Amnesty will also not be granted to any person required to attend a hearing in the department of administrative hearings concerning fraudulent conduct concerning any debt or non-payment of debt owed to the city other than debt that would be waived by the amnesty provision.
 
If this ordinance passes, it will take effect on April 15, 2010.  The ordinance was heard in a joint committee of License and Transportation on Monday, January 4, 2010.

License Renewal and Fees Ordinance

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8374.pdf
 
This ordinance would allow a holders of certain licenses to elect to have the term of their license expire at the end of either two or four years if a term is not already provided for in the Code.  It also changes the renewal terms for the majority of current licenses.  Exception:  if a person holds a license under any of the following categories, those licenses will expire every two years: 
•    Liquor Dealers
•    Day Care Centers
•    Massage Establishments
•    Weapons
•    Hotels
•    Single-Room Occupancy
•    Rooftops in Wrigley Field Adjacent Area

If a person has a license that expires at the end of two years and their fee for that license or their combined licenses exceeds $1,000, then they can choose to make the payment in two equal installments.
 
If you currently hold any license pursuant to Chapter 4 of the Code, please read this ordinance carefully as the payment terms for that license will likely change with the passage of this ordinance.
 
The ordinance will be in effect 120 days after passage and publication.

Review of Landscape Ordinance - RESOLUTION

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/SCANNED%20DECEMBER%2016,%202009/30_PR2009-108.pdf
 
This resolution asks the License committee to hold a hearing to discuss current policies and practices of the city to hold licenses for businesses that have not complied with newest revisions to the Landscape Ordinance.

Changes to Public Way Use Permits

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8373.pdf
 
This proposed ordinance would clarify the circumstances in which a person would need to apply for a public way use permit.  It also clarifies definitions for items which require public way use permits.  It also details the circumstances in which an application for a permit will be denied.  Permits will last for 5 years and holders must furnish a certificate of insurance to the department with coverage in an amount not less than $1 million.  Fees are delineated in the ordinance as well as exemptions.  Also creates a "subsidewalk space use" permit.  Deletes the requirement for a permit for maintenance of wires, cables, etc.

Ordinance to Issue a Joint City and County Cigarette Stamp

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8385.pdf
 
A proposal to contract with Cook County to issue jointly a tax stamp for cigarettes.  The ordinance will be heard in the Finance committee on Monday, January 11, 2010 and would be effective upon passage and publication.

Ordinance granting temporary tax relief from the Employers Expense Tax

http://www.chicityclerk.com/legislation/sublegmatters/2009/dec16/Mayors/PO2009-8382.pdf
 
If an employer's business has been located in the city for at least 12 months prior to July 1 of the current tax year, the employer will not have to pay the Head Tax if that employer was not required to pay the tax in the tax year prior to that ending on June 30, 2010 or June 30, 2011.
If the employer was required to pay the tax, under the same set of facts, the employer will not have to pay any of the head tax owed over and above what the employer paid in the previous tax year.
 
If an employer merges/consolidates the business with another entity, and the tax owed in the current tax year exceeds what that employer would have paid if the merger/consolidation had occurred a year earlier, then the employer will only be required to pay what they would have owed the year prior.
 
The ordinance will be heard in the joint committees of Finance and Economic Development although a meeting has not yet been scheduled.  It would be effective upon passage and approval and repealed on August 16, 2011.

Updated: December 9, 2009

According to the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Public Radio, on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 Mayor Richard M. Daley announced plans to offer small business loans to promote business growth and a series of enforcement and policy changes to ease the burden on city staffing needs. 

Daley said he will work with aldermen and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to make the application process for new businesses shorter as well as offering two-year and four-year licenses and a potential payment plan for licenses.  The mayor also announced that fewer fines and code violations will have to be paid in person.

Money for the program, $3.2 million from the City's Skyway lease and $350,000 from the much-debated parking meter lease, will result in loans ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 through community lenders.

Stay tuned to the LPCC's website for more information on this exciting opportunity for Chicago's business community.