Johnson's budget passes key vote after tie-breaking decision
CHICAGO - After weeks of negotiations, Chicago’s budget committee narrowly approved Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed budget on Tuesday.
The decisive vote came from 4th Ward Alderman Lamont Robinson, who arrived late to cast the tie-breaking vote, pushing the count to 17-16.
What we know
The budget includes a range of tax hikes, including:
- $128 million from cloud computing services
- $68 million from property taxes (reduced from an earlier $300 million proposal)
- $11 million increase in parking garage taxes
- Higher taxes on rideshare services, grocery bags, and streaming platforms (Netflix, etc.)
Some alderpeople voiced concerns about last-minute promises to secure votes. Alderman David Moore of the 17th Ward, who voted yes, cited a pledge from the mayor to fund park upgrades in his ward.
"The administration committed to working with me to make sure the residents of the 17th Ward get the resources that they need," Moore told FOX 32, noting that he had secured similar items during budget negotiations with former mayors Lori Lightfoot and Rahm Emanuel. "That includes working with the park district to make Ogden Park a priority."
What we don’t know
It remains uncertain whether the full city council will approve the budget during its meeting on Friday. With today’s narrow vote, the final outcome may hinge on further negotiations and potential disruptions.
"Chicagoans want us to right-size our government, to shrink our spending and be good stewards of government, and I don’t think we’ve necessarily gotten to that point yet," said 15th Ward Alderman Ray Lopez.
Timeline
Last month, every single alderperson voted against Mayor Johnson’s $300 million property tax hike, with some demanding he focus more on cuts before increasing taxes on residents.
"Ultimately, this is about revenue," said Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), the chairman of the Budget Committee. "Citizens have continuously told us that they do not want cuts in services and so in order to keep the services at the level our citizens want, we have to find the revenue."
Ervin acknowledged the budget negotiations have been a "challenging process" but expressed confidence the votes were there to pass a plan before the end-of-the-year deadline.
Calls for cuts over new taxes
Ald. Lopez said he and other council members have been frustrated by the budget negotiation process.
"We’ve been trying to push from the very beginning that you should be right-sizing government before you ask taxpayers for one dollar more," he said.
Lopez was also critical of Johnson’s apparent lack of willingness to make budget cuts to close the projected deficit.
"We gave him nearly $600 million in potential cuts throughout the city of Chicago’s bureaucracy," Lopez said. "He came back with [$3 million]. To me, that is not trying to negotiate in good faith. You’re just doing bare minimum to get by."