Chicago Sun-Times: City council cracks down on off-site parking near O'Hare, Midway

Bargain days won't end entirely for air travelers who park at off-site garages and lots and ride shuttles to O'Hare and Midway airports. But the discounts are about to shrink.

The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved a long-stalled ordinance empowering the city to slap parking companies that have set up shop just outside both airports - in some cases outside the city to avoid paying a parking tax that Mayor Rahm Emanuel loves to raise - with a tax of 10 percent of their gross revenues.

The mayor's ordinance authorizes Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans to "negotiate and execute" five-year agreements with any off-airport parking service provider that uses airport roadways or other airport facilities to pick up, drop off or otherwise serve customers" at either airport. Those companies would be prohibited from using airport roadways and facilities without such an agreement.

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