City Hall will soon have a far-reaching decision on its hands: How to dispose of a huge, growing pot of taxpayer money collecting in a North Side special taxing district that has quickly outperformed expectations.

The district has already taken in just under $400 million since 2017. It is on track to pay off a major facelift of four Chicago Transit Authority stations and the century-old infrastructure connecting them way ahead of schedule and estimated to bring in just shy of $100 million annually by 2031.

The billion-dollar question is whether the CTA will keep receiving cash infusions from the district to help pay for future projects once the first phase is paid off, or if the money will instead be recouped by the city and other taxing bodies that are facing their own looming budget

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