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Council committee backs incentive package for CI Select’s move to Cortex; bill gets due‑pass recommendation
Summary
Alderman Browning introduced Board Bill 83 to reimburse 50% of sales tax (that would flow to the Cortex TIF) into a comptroller‑controlled account to reimburse CI Select for build‑out at 42 Lequete Avenue; the committee gave a due‑pass recommendation by a 6–0 vote.
The committee considered Board Bill 83, an economic development incentive to encourage CI Select to relocate its showroom and offices to 42 Lequete Avenue (the Old Carriage Works building in the Cortex TIF district).
Alderman Browning described the proposal as a sales‑tax reimbursement structure that would direct 50% of otherwise‑collected sales tax (the portion that would go to the Cortex TIF) into an account controlled by the city comptroller; CI Select could apply to that account for reimbursement of build‑out costs. Browning said the proposal includes a 1% administrative fee for the comptroller to operate the account and a 10‑year clawback provision if the company leaves the city within a decade.
"We’re really excited that they're considering moving into the city," Claire Erker, CEO of CI Select, said. She told the committee the company employs about 40 people who would relocate to the city and could bring additional jobs in future years (the company projected roughly a dozen more positions if a second lease is moved in later).
Committee members pressed for detail about wages, which Browning described as an average salary target in the mid‑80,000s when averaged across reported jobs; he also confirmed the 40 current employees are existing staff who would relocate. After questions and brief discussion, a motion to give Board Bill 83 a due‑pass recommendation was moved (Alderman Cohn), seconded (Alderman Browning), and approved with 6 aye votes recorded by the clerk.
What happens next: The bill received a due‑pass recommendation and will proceed through the council process for final consideration.
