Chicago's City Council passed an ordinance in January of 2021 to crack down on industrial polluters. It was sponsored by Michael Rodriguez, one of Chicago's #Aldermen, who wanted to create a framework that would make it possible for the city to withdraw incentives from "bad actor" developers.

The Council decided to pass the ordinance in response to the disastrous demolition of a smokestack in Rodriguez's ward in April of 2020. Hilco Redevelopment Partners received property tax rebates totaling $19.7 million as an incentive for reducing pollution by removing the smokestack. The implosion had the exact opposite of an environmentally friendly effect, spewing dust and debris across the Little Village neighborhood. There was no legal way for the city to revoke those rebates because they had already been issued.

The ordinance set parameters by which Chicago can revoke tax rebates provided to developers who fail to act in accordance with their Redevelopment Agreements or disobey city, state, or federal laws. It holds developers accountable for complying with any environmental regulations that were agreed upon when the rebates were awarded. 

This means that if a developer is awarded a tax rebate such as a "Class 6b" tax incentive for completing a project, but they violate certain conditions of the agreement, the city is allowed to retroactively apply the #taxes and demand payment in the amount of the rebate.

Some Chicagoans believe that the ordinance is a positive step towards environmental reform that will help reduce industrial pollution. They say that developers are given tax rebates to encourage environmentally responsible actions, and these incentives should be removed when developers' actions have a negative impact on the environment. Others do not believe the tax revocation ordinance is a good move for Chicago. They say that it will have (at best) a very limited effect on environmental change. When a tax rebate has already been awarded, people in this group believe that it is either impractical or unethical to remove it if the city later changes its mind.

The question up for debate: is revoking "bad actor" developers' property tax rebates the best way to help address #environmental reform?