City OKs $16M settlement to Bensenville to move forward with O'Hare expansion

The City Council on Wednesday authorized a $16 million settlement to suburban Bensenville, removing one of the last legal impediments to Mayor Daley's massive O'Hare Airport expansion project.

Peace has been in the works since last spring, when Frank Soto unseated Bensenville Village President John Geils, who led the charge against O'Hare expansion.

The deal that will open the door for the demolition of hundreds of abandoned Bensenville homes was sealed with Chicago's offer to pay Bensenville $16 million as compensation for village-owned properties.

The city has also agreed to health and safety protections for Bensenville residents during the demolition and construction process. That includes traffic and landscaping plans and demolition controls, including temporary fencing. Chicago will repair and replace Bensenville's stormwater and wastewater infrastructure if it's damaged during demolition.

"This is historical. ... It will help Bensenville. It will help the city of Chicago. It will help the creation of jobs and move [O'Hare expansion] more and more," Mayor Daley told reporters.

"We own about 98 percent of the property. It's all been abandoned. It's costing people money to keep abandoned buildings up."

The mayor was asked whether he ever expected that it would take 20 years to realize his dream of O'Hare expansion.

"Well, you know it became very controversial. If you look at the history, all governors -- Democrats and Republicans -- took a pledge of never, ever allowing O'Hare Field to expand. Now, think of that. This goes back to the '70's, and the '80's and '90's," Daley said.

"How do you compete with other countries that, unfortunately, can build these things overnight so quickly? ... The mayor [of Bensenville] knew this. This will create jobs. You have to create jobs in a very serious [economic] environment."

Also at Wednesday's meeting, the City Council:

* Approved Daley's appointment of veteran federal prosecutor Joe Ferguson to a four-year term as Chicago's corruption-fighting inspector general.

* Held a public hearing on Chicago's 2010 budget in which the Civic Federation lambasted Daley's plan to hold the line on taxes, fines and fees by raiding reserves generated by city asset sales.

* Added driving on a revoked or suspended license to the laundry list of offenses punishable by vehicle impoundment, effective Jan. 1.

* Authorized $875 billion in general obligation bonds and $2 billion in bonds at O'Hare and Midway Airports to reduce interest rates and finance ongoing projects.

* Gave the go-ahead for a reality television show based on the Chicago Police Department's missing person's unit.