CHICAGO—At Wednesday's Chicago City Council meeting, members did the expected by approving the $500 million rehab of Wrigley Field, but several alderman also delivered a surprise by using a parliamentary maneuver to delay the adoption of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's energy benchmarking ordinance.

On Tuesday, at a hearing of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards, condo owners and realtors voiced worries that the ordinance, which will require municipal, commercial and residential properties with more than 50,000-square-feet to track and publicly report their energy usage, will also eventually impose costly mandates, a charge denied by its supporters. But the ordinance sailed through the committee by an overwhelming margin, setting up what seemed like certain approval by the full council the next day. The complaints, however, seemed to make an impression on several council members who represent lakefront wards filled with huge condo buildings.

“There were a number of alderman who called for a deferment,” says Tressa Feher, chief of staff for 46^th Ward Ald. James Cappleman, a zoning committee member who asked for a delay on both days. “He wants residents to understand better what the cost will be. That was a little unclear.” Ald. Brendan Reilly, who represents the 42^nd Ward, another lakefront district, actually invoked the parliamentary rule known as “defer and publish,” which delays a proposal for a short time, Feher says. However, the council will take up the ordinance when it meets in September. “They'll be bringing it back; the mayor is going to be pushing this and that's the important thing.”