18th Ward Community News & Updates! 

Derrick G. Curtis

Alderman, 18th Ward

Overnight Winter Parking Restrictions Began: Wednesday, December 1

In order to ensure that the most critical roadways in Chicago are kept open to full capacity at all times, the City of Chicago enforces a Winter Overnight Parking Ban on 107 miles of arterial streets from 3:00 am - 7:00 am between December 1 and April 1, regardless of snow. 

A separate snow-related parking ban exists for another 500 miles of main streets, which is activated if there is at least two inches of snow on the street, no matter the time of day or the calendar date.

Any streets impacted by either the Winter Overnight Parking Ban and the ban on parking on certain streets when there is at least two inches of snow have permanent signs posted. 

Failure to comply with these parking bans can result in a vehicle being towed or relocated, as well as tickets and additional fees. More information on winter parking restrictions can be found on the City's website.

Everyone is responsible for clearing snow and ice from city sidewalks. The city code states "every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person having charge of any building or lot of ground abutting upon any public way or public space shall remove the snow and ice from the sidewalk...”

If you do not own your residential or business property, check with your rental or lease agreement or management company to see what your sidewalk clearing responsibility is.

Sidewalks need to be cleaned 7 days a week. Clean sidewalks by 10:00 am if snow falls overnight and 10:00 pm if snow falls during the day. The city code requires a five-foot wide path to be cleared. This width allows safe access from the crosswalk to the sidewalk and is particularly important for people in wheelchairs, using strollers, or anyone with an assistive device. Please report locations that have not been cleared by using the city's 311 service request portal, or by contacting our office via email at Ward18@cityofchicago.org, or by phone at 773-284-5057. Individuals that do not comply can face fines up $500 per day of violation and businesses up tp $1000 per day of violation. 

Plow Tracker: Track Snow Plows Across Chicago in Real-Time

 Residents can track Streets and Sanitation workers plowing streets throughout the city in real-time using Plow Tracker during snow storms. This map will show real-time locations of city plows and salt spreaders. Please remember to shovel snow onto the parkway, not back into the street. Often times plows service the area only to have residents dump snow back into the street. 

Chicago Recovery Grants:

Less Than $250,000

 Provides additional opportunities for the City to invest in catalytic local development, expanding upon existing investments and support from the Department of Planning and Development (DPD).

 Application deadline for second review is March 10th

 Prior to the opening of the online application, applicants can use the below PDF of application questions and required documents as a guide to gather the necessary information to apply. Applications will only be accepted by the online link that will be posted in early January.

 Download PDF of the Application.

For advice and potential resources to help with your application, please go to the Community Development Grant Resources page.

Utility Billing Relief (UBR) provides low-income City of Chicago residents with a reduced rate on their water, sewer, and water-sewer tax as well as debt relief for those who demonstrate they can manage the reduced rate bills for one year. Benefits for UBR participants include:

• A reduced rate on water, sewer, and water-sewer tax.
• No late payment penalties or debt collection activity including water shut-off.
• Debt forgiveness after successfully completing one year with no past due balance.

Operating in partnership with the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA), who operates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the UBR program will utilize their expertise and extensive network of partner organizations to conduct outreach and enroll homeowners.

Apply NowIt’s could outside again and the Department of Water Management is reminding us that there are simple steps we can take to prevent frozen pipes indoors. If you have a pipe freeze, use a blow dryer or a heating pad to thaw it out- never an open flame. Remember, a small trickle of water can prevent thousands of dollars in property damage. Visit chicago.gov/water for more information.

Free Tax Prep Chicago

The City of Chicago is committed to ensuring that hardworking Chicagoans can access free tax services to file their returns and claim their tax refunds. The City of Chicago works with its nonprofit partner, Ladder Up, to offer free tax help throughout the tax season and at various points in the off-season.

Ladder Up is excited to open 13 tax sites throughout the Chicagoland area and is offering in-person and drop-off services to clients for the 2022 tax season. Click here to make an appointment or call 312-588-6900. The Tax filing deadline is April 18, 2022.

Message from CPS on In-School Mask Requirements

Dear CPS Colleagues and Families, 

 You may recall that on February 4, a downstate court issued a legal decision regarding Governor Pritzker’s requirements for COVID-19 safety measures in schools. This decision was immediately appealed by the Illinois Attorney General, and today, we received the results of that appeal. 

 Late last night, the appellate court confirmed that CPS has the authority to enforce key COVID-19 safety measures, including the required use of masks by all students and staff while they are at school.

 We are gratified by the court’s decision, as universal masking and other proven safety measures are what have allowed us to provide our students with the in-person learning environment they need throughout this school year. We will continue to follow these proven protocols until such time as our public health partners advise us that restrictions can be safely lifted.

 We are encouraged to see COVID-19 cases dropping, and we remain optimistic about what this will mean for our school communities in the future. For now, though, our top priority must continue to be safety and stability for CPS students, staff, and families.

 Sincerely, 

 Pedro Martinez

Chief Executive Officer

Chicago Public Schools

COOK COUNTY ASSESSOR’S TAX EXEMPTIONS

Cook County- In response to COVID-19, the Cook County Assessor’s Office will continue the automatic renewal of the Senior Freeze, Veterans with Disabilities, and Persons with Disabilities Exemptions; the Homeowner and Senior Exemptions, will continue to auto-renew every year.

If a homeowner received any of these five exemptions last year (tax year 2020), they do not need to reapply this year (tax year 2021).

To verify which exemptions were received last year, homeowners can visit the Cook County Property Tax Portal at cookcountypropertyinfo.com, enter their PIN and look under the exemption tab.  

Property Tax Savings for Veterans

The Cook County Assessor is providing property tax exemptions for veterans. The Assessor’s Office administers both, Veterans with Disabilities and  Returning Veterans Exemptions, which can reduce the property tax bills of veterans.

Veterans are required to apply annually. Veteran homeowners who believe they may have been eligible in prior tax years can apply for a Certificate of Error. Visit the Cook County Assessor's website for more information.

You might have unclaimed property. The Illinois State Treasurer's office is urging Illinoisans to check their portal for unclaimed property. Since 2015, the treasurer's office has returned over $1 billion in assets, cash and value of returned shares. Check with the Illinois Treasurer Unclaimed Property page for Click here!

No Fee Veterans City Sticker Program

• The office of the City Clerk offers no-fee City Stickers to eligible Illinois veterans. Residents who qualify must meet the following criteria:Be an Ex-Prisoner of War, Purple-Heart Veteran, or disabled Veteran with an unexpired Illinois PW, PR, IS or DV plate.
• Present an unexpired Illinois Driver’s License or State ID with a “VETERAN” designation.

For more information to visit www.ChiCityClerk.com/sticker.

Prescription Drug Takeback Programs

The Cook County Sheriff's Prescription Drug Takeback Program collects and destroys unwanted prescription drugs. Cook County residents can safely dispose of their unwanted medicines by taking them to a collection box located throughout Cook County, or to designated community prescription drug take back events.

There is no cost to residents to use this service. Use the Cook County Sheriff's interactive tool to find a location near you, or call 1-844-688-7379.

The Chicago Department of Public Health has partnered with the Chicago Police Department to provide you with a place for the safe and proper disposal of unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications (for households only).

You may take your pharmaceuticals to one of the following designated drop off locations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Look for the blue box in the lobby.  Click here for Chicago Police District locations.

People's Gas Winter Assistance and Resources

This winter, expect elevated heating bills due to a sharp nationwide increase in natural gas prices, driven by tight global supply and an increase in demand as economies reopen from COVID-19 shutdowns.

For anyone who needs help managing their bills, assistance is available.

Bill Pay Assistance:

To see if you are eligible and apply for bill pay assistance, go to cedarorg.net or call the Community Economic Development Association at 800-571-2332.

For those who don’t qualify for energy assistance:

Winter Energy-Saving Tips:

Manage energy use by turning down your thermostat, using a programmable thermostat, sealing gaps around windows and doors, and scheduling an annual furnace tuneup. Peoples Gas also offers free energy efficiency consultations. For more information, go to peoplesgasdelivery.com/savings/.

Budget Billing:

Pay the same amount each month with Budget Billing. The billing program spreads out seasonal variations in your Peoples Gas bill over 12 months. While you still pay for all of the natural gas you actually use, Budget Billing provides consistent bills throughout the year. For more information and to enroll, go to peoplesgasdelivery.com/payment-bill/budget.