West Chicago council adopts legislative-council ordinance with $24,000 annual cap

The West Chicago City Council on Aug. 18 adopted ordinance 25-O-0024 amending the city code to create a legislative council available to advise aldermen on legislative matters, with use triggered by five aldermen and an annual cap of $24,000.

Alderman Morano moved to approve the ordinance with amendments that set the cap at $24,000 per year and require five aldermen to authorize the use of legislative counsel. "So I move to approve ordinance number 25-O-0024, ordinance of the city of West Chicago amending the city code related to legal services, with the amendments that would include five aldermen to trigger the use of legislative counsel as well as increasing the cap to 24,000 annually," Morano read into the record.

Council debate focused on three main concerns: (1) the potential for misuse if the council creates a standing resource without safeguards, (2) whether the cap should be structured monthly or annually, and (3) what threshold of aldermen should trigger access. Aldermen discussed alternatives including monthly caps, an annual cap, and graded thresholds requiring larger majorities for amounts above the cap.

City attorney Ms. Krafthefer explained the process for establishing the office and noted that appointment of legislative counsel requires a subsequent majority vote. After discussion and a second from Alderman Stout, the council voted to adopt the ordinance as amended. The motion passed with one recorded nay (Alderman Myers). The ordinance directs staff to perform any needed grammatical or legal edits before finalization.

The ordinance adds a formal mechanism for the legislative branch to request independent legal advice while specifying a cap and a triggering mechanism intended to limit unilateral use.