City Ready to Consider Bids from Electric Companies

After residents voted in November in favor of seeking lower electricity rates, the city is ready for bids from competing companies. The City will review the options before deciding on the best rate.

Chicago Heights is nearly ready for electrical aggregation, as the city awaits bids from various vendors, which are due Wednesday, March 6. At the second special public hearing on electrical aggregation on March 4, NIMEC Director of Marketing Sharon Durling spoke to a sparse crowd of residents and the city's aldermen about the city's electrical aggregation plan, what it means for residents and the city's opt-out plan. Once bids are in place, NIMEC will provide assistance to the city on choosing which option is best for residents. “We do not recommend, but we do give all the information you need,” Durling said. “We will make commentary, but the final decision is yours. We'll give you enough information that you do not have to be an …

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Going, Almost Gone: City Continues Removal of Ailing Ash Trees

Nearly 400 dead or dying Ash trees were removed from Chicago Heights since January 1 of this year, during phase 1 of the city's tree removal plan. Planning is already underway for phase 2.

After months of chopping, sawing and cutting down hundreds of Ash trees, Chicago Heights Chief of Staff Lisa Aprati announced phase 1 of the city's efforts to remove dead or dying Ash trees from city streets is nearly complete. But they're not done yet, Aprati said during a March 4 city council meeting.  Residents should report dead or dying trees to the city for the next phase of the plan. “It was dead or dying trees that are being removed,” Aprati said. “We already have a list of trees and we're accepting calls from residents if they believe their trees are dead or dying.” During phase 1, which began January 1 of this year, the city hired two companies to remove trees from three areas within the city, Aprati said. In the three zones, a …

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Karen Church

10:20 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Sounds familiar, I've been calling for years & my name is on the list. Dead tree is still standing   more ›

Chicago Heights Mayor Practices What He Preaches

Though Mayor David Gonzalez's daughter was grandfathered in and wouldn't be affected by the recently passed anti-nepotism ordinance, he asked for her resignation from the City of Chicago Heights after his election.

An anti-nepotism ordinance passed by the Chicago Heights City Council last week is just the formalizing of a policy already observed by Mayor David Gonzalez. The mayor asked for his own daughter's resignation after he was elected -- a decision that Gonzalez said was easy for him as a public official but tough for him as a father. The ordinance Gonzalez introduced passed unanimously at a special meeting last week; Seventh Ward Ald. Sylvia Torres was not present at the meeting. Employees already working for the city are unaffected because they are grandfathered in. "My daughter was qualified and a great worker," Gonzalez wrote in an email to Patch Monday, Feb. 20.  "The problem comes that any promotion or pay increase that she would have …

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City Council Approves Mosby As Ward One Alderman

Walter Mosby III, pastor of Greater Faith Baptist Church and a known community advocate, says his first priority is to improve the stigma attached to Ward One.

Walter Mosby III was unanimously approved by the Chicago Heights City Council and was sworn in as Ward One Alderman at a special meeting Wednesday, 15. Mosby was appointed by Mayor David Gonzales to fill the seat left vacant by the late Willie White in December of last year. Mosby, 50, is entrenched in the community, as pastor of Greater Faith Baptist Church and as president of the Park Forest-Chicago Heights District 163 Board of Education, as several philanthropic roles. He also is a court services supervisor at Aunt Martha's Youth Service Center. And he knows he has big shoes to fill in Ward One. "I do take my hat off to the late Ald. Willie White, who set the bar real high," Mosby said at Wednesday's meeting. "And there are big shoes …

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On the Agenda

City Council May Approve New Ward One Alderman Tonight

At a special meeting tonight, officials are expected to fill the vacancy left by the late Ald. Willie White.

In a special city council meeting Wednesday, Feb. 15, officials will likely approve a mayoral appointment to fill the vacancy of the City of Chicago Heights Ward One Alderman. The mayor's office began accepting applications for the seat in January to replace the late Ald. Willie White. The council will also consider approval to amend the city code of ordinances and adopt an anti-nepotism policy presented by Mayor David Gonzalez. Click on the PDF above to see the full agenda for the city council meeting. The meeting will be taking place at the Chicago Heights City Hall building, inside the council chambers.

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Mayor Gonzalez to Make Appointments to Fire and Police Commissioners Board: On the Agenda

Chicago Heights City Council meets Monday, Nov. 7, with a few items on the agenda.

Mayor David Gonzalez and the Chicago Heights City Council will meet Monday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. There will be time allotted for public participation and comments. Click on the PDF above to see the full agenda for the city council meeting. The meeting will be taking place at the Chicago Heights City Hall building, inside the council chambers.

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Reconstructing Ward Two Streets: On the Agenda

Chicago Heights City Council meets Monday, Oct. 17, with a few items on the agenda.

Mayor David Gonzalez and the Chicago Heights City Council will meet Monday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. There will be time allotted for public participation and comments. Click on the PDF above to see the full agenda for the city council meeting. The meeting will be taking place at the Chicago Heights City Hall building, inside the council chambers.

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Class 8 Development, Vacating an Alleyway: On the Agenda

Chicago Heights City Council meets Monday, Oct. 3, with a few items on the agenda.

Mayor David Gonzalez and the Chicago Heights City Council will meet Monday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. There will be time allotted for public participation and comments. Click on the PDF above to see the full agenda for the city council meeting. The meeting will be taking place at the Chicago Heights City Hall building, inside the council chambers.

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Chicago Heights to Acquire Union Street Gallery Building

After several years of tax issues and a foreclosure, the building is one step away from being owned by its tenants.

The Chicago Heights City Council unanimously agreed that the city should execute a deal that will give it ownership of the building housing the Union Street Gallery. The building, at 1527 Otto Blvd., was foreclosed upon in January of 2010, when the previous owner had accumulated more than $250,000 in back taxes. A private bank took ownership of the building at that time. "The taxes were so high, (the owner) was hoping to rent to a non-profit and be considered a non-profit and not pay taxes," Union Street Gallery Board President Mike "Pete" Petrouski said. "It doesn't work that way." Petrouski said the private bank that has owned the building since then has tried to sell it to the Gallery at prices well above $500,000 before lowering the …

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Chicago Heights City Council Limits Pawnbroker and Liquor Licenses

The number of precious metal and gem broker licenses has also been capped.

The Chicago Heights attacked multiple city-issued licenses at Monday's city council meeting. The council unanimously decided to limit the number of pawnbroker and precious metal and gem broker licenses allowed to be issued by the city, capping the number of cash-for-gold spots and pawn shops allowed to operate in the city. There can now only be ten second-hand dealers operating in the city at once, and that limit could be reached soon. There are two pawn shops and six cash-for-gold dealers at the moment, with two pawn shop license applications pending, according to Mayor David Gonzalez. But that wasn't all the council limited. They also reduced the number of liquor and tavern licenses in an effort to lower the amount of outstanding …

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