Businesses brace as Chicago shutdown risks grow ahead of deadline

Businesses brace as Chicago shutdown risks grow ahead of deadline

We're just two-and-a-half weeks away from the budget deadline at city hall. If Mayor Brandon Johnson and council members can't reach a deal, the city could face a government shutdown. Bret Buganski is live outside city hall.

CHICAGO - The deadline for approving the city budget is two and a half weeks away, and if Mayor Brandon Johnson and City Council members fail to reach a deal, Chicago could face a government shutdown.

What we know:

A shutdown would raise immediate questions about how city services would function. 

For days, the mayor’s office has warned that a halt in government operations could leave roughly 30,000 city workers without pay and bring most city services to a stop.

FOX 32 Chicago requested specifics from the mayor’s office. On Friday afternoon, a spokesperson said they would provide more information but did not offer details.

A shutdown could also affect non-city workers. Vince Sliwa, owner of Windy City Garage, builds garages across the Chicago area. His business depends on city permits and inspections — processes that would halt in a shutdown.

"If we're unable to get the permits or inspections, we're kind of at a standstill and for the clients and for our workers, it's just, we're playing the waiting game," Sliwa said. 

What's next:

Earlier this week, FOX 32 Chicago spoke with Ald. Brian Hopkins of the 2nd Ward. When asked what a shutdown would look like, he said he was unsure. 

Chicago has never experienced a city government shutdown.

The mayor and City Council have until the end of December to agree on how to close a budget gap of more than $1 billion.