Chicagoland Chamber Reacts to Temporary Deferral of Chicago Infrastructure Trust Ordinance

CHICAGO, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In reaction to the decision to defer the vote on the Chicago Infrastructure Trust, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce reiterates its support for the ordinance and looks forward to City Council approval at their meeting next week.  Mayor Emanuel and City Council Leaders are to be commended for temporarily delaying consideration of the ordinance in order to more fully educate the City Council on this creative infrastructure funding program.

"We appreciate the due diligence the Mayor and the City Council are taking to make sure the Infrastructure Trust is designed to help address the critical capital needs of the City while continuing to protect the taxpayers," said Chamber President and CEO Jerry Roper in reaction to today's motion by Alderman Burke and O'Connor to defer the measure.  "We support the Chicago Infrastructure Trust as an example of the innovative and transformative thinking needed to address Chicago's infrastructure needs. The City can no longer rely on the federal and state government for funding. We need the Chicago Infrastructure Trust to allow private investment to complement traditional funding sources to ensure our ability to compete globally," Roper added.

About The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Founded in 1904, we are a private, non-profit business assistance and economic development organization. With 2,600 members, representing over 1.3 million individual employees in the six-county Northeastern Illinois region (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry & Will), we are the largest Chamber of Commerce in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation. Our mission is to make Chicagoland the most business-friendly region in America and to enhance our members' success through aggressive advocacy, member benefits, services, and actionable information.

SOURCE Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce