ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, Chicago's retail establishments and restaurants have endured great economic hardship over the previous year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many businesses suffering dramatic reductions in customer traffic; and
WHEREAS, In addition to providing financial assistance to struggling businesses, the City of Chicago has modified many of its business regulations at little or no cost to the taxpayers, such as allowing year-round sidewalk cafes and expanded outdoor dining, to assist businesses in attracting more customers, which makes it easier for businesses to survive in these difficult economic times; and
WHEREAS, The City Council recently enacted the "Chi Biz Strong Initiative," a wide-ranging business relief package that provided much-needed financial assistance to thousands of businesses and cut red tape across numerous City processes, all in recognition of the fact that local businesses need help in order to succeed; and
WHEREAS, Safe and convenient off-street parking is an important amenity for many businesses, including restaurants, fast food establishments, convenience stores, laundromats, and the like, who depend for their success on customers who travel to their business in automobiles; and
WHEREAS, These businesses suffer great financial harm when their off-street parking lots are occupied by vehicles belonging to non-customers and other unauthorized users, depriving paying customers of the ability to park at their businesses and sending those customers elsewhere; and
WHEREAS, because the financial viability of these businesses depends on maintaining the accessibility of their parking lots, many of them have availed themselves of parking management services which attach a "boot" to illegally parked vehicles; and
WHEREAS, Many businesses find the booting service far preferable to towing companies because the property owner is not required to monitor his or her parking lot and call a towing company, which may not arrive until after the illegally parked vehicle has left the premises; and
WHEREAS, The documented stories of a "Wild West" of rogue tow truck drivers, which prompted the City Council recently to license tow truck drivers, underscores why business owners are reluctant to engage in tow truck companies to patrol their lots; and
WHEREAS, The business owner and the surrounding community enjoy the additional benefit of having a uniformed employee of the parking management service on site who will call the police if they witness any illegal or suspicious activity on the premises or in the nearby area; and
WHEREAS, The owner of the illegally parked vehicle benefits as well by paying the fine to have the boot removed at the location where the trespass occurred and need not undergo
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the inconvenience and expense of identifying the towing company who removed their vehicle and traveling often at great distances to recover their vehicle and pay towing and storage fees; and
WHEREAS, To prevent unwary motorists from receiving a boot on their car, City ordinance requires parking management services to post signs conspicuously at the entrance to the parking lot and throughout the parking lot property advising motorists that parking is reserved for patrons visiting the business only and that by parking on the lot, non-customers consent to the immobilization of their vehicle with a boot; and
WHEREAS, Parking management services have operated booting services for local businesses in the City of Chicago for the last 21 years with no major incidents and, like towing companies, should have the option of offering this service to all Chicago wards; and
WHEREAS, Despite the clear benefit to retailers, restaurants and their customers, businesses in Chicago's 10th Ward are unable to avail themselves of this parking management service to protect their parking lots from unauthorized users; and
WHEREAS, Expanding this service to the 10th Ward will greatly assist struggling businesses, who are operating at a financial loss or with only thin profit margins, at no cost to the taxpayers; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
SECTION 1. Section 4-6-230 of the Municipal Code of Chicago is hereby amended by adding the underscored text, as follows:
4-6-230 Booting of motor vehicles
(Omitted text is unaffected by this ordinance)
(g) Prohibited acts. It shall be unlawful for any licensee engaged in the business of booting to:
(Omitted text is unaffected by this ordinance)
(5) engage in booting operations at any location that is outside the 2nd Ward, 10th Ward. 11th Ward, 12th Ward, 15th Ward, 16th Ward, 21st Ward, 22nd Ward, 23rd Ward, 24th Ward, 25th Ward, 26th Ward, 27th Ward, 28th Ward, 29th Ward, 30th Ward, 31st Ward, 32nd Ward, 33rd Ward, 34th Ward, 35th Ward, 36th Ward, 37th Ward, 38th Ward, 40th Ward, 42nd Ward, 43rd Ward, 44th Ward, 45th Ward, 46th Ward, 47th Ward, 48th Ward, or 49th Ward, all bounded as provided in Article III of Chapter 2-8 of the Code.
(Omitted text is unaffected by this ordinance)