RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is facing an unprecedented gang and gun violence crisis. If this situation continues unchecked, violent crime will have a devastating impact on the City's future growth and development; and
WHEREAS, illegal firearms flow freely throughout the City at an alarming rate jeopardizing the public safety of all Chicagoans. Easy access to firearms also creates an unacceptable risk of terrorism at and around our airports; and
WHEREAS, maintaining safe and secure airports is crucial not only to the millions of people who utilize those airports each year, but also the residents and business owners who live in the surrounding communities and the many companies aligned with the aviation industry. As such, the financial burden of that police presence should not fall entirely on the taxpayers of the City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, through the creation of a first of its kind public-private partnership to combat terrorism, the airline industries, City of Chicago, and airline passengers could work together to achieve an unparalleled level of security at both O'Hare and Midway Airports; and
WHEREAS, through this partnership, airline companies servicing O'Hare and Midway can voluntarily impose a $1 service charge on the nearly 100 million passengers flying into or out of Chicago, and then pass on those funds to the City to increase police presence at and around the airports; and
WHEREAS, airport concessionaires currently gross more than $1.8 billion annually as a result of the safe and secure airports that the City of Chicago maintains. Dedicating funds specifically for police protection at and around our airports through this public-private partnership should be included in any concessions agreement; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of this public-private partnership could generate hundreds of millions of dollars for additional police protection at and around O'Hare and Midway Airports. Such action would provide Chicagoans with the safest airports in the United States and reallocate existing resources to communities badly in need of additional police protection; and therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, do hereby request that the Chicago Department of Aviation work in conjunction with the airline industry and concessionaires to establish a public-private partnership to combat terrorism; and
BE IT FUTHER RESOVLED, that copies of this resolution be delivered to the presidents of all airline companies currently servicing O'Hare and Midway Airports as well as representatives of major concession companies for their input.
Matthew J. O'Stfea Alderman, 19th Ward