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Chicago budget battle heats up as 29 aldermen push back on taxes
A powerful bloc of 29 Chicago aldermen is demanding no property tax or corporate head tax increases as the city heads into a high-stakes budget fight with Mayor Brandon Johnson.
CHICAGO - Chicago is getting ready for another big fight over the city budget.
A bloc of 29 aldermen calling themselves the "budget accountability coalition" has sent out a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson detailing their priorities — and hoping to come to some sort of agreement earlier than last year, when the budget didn't pass until after Christmas.
Their three focuses are: no property tax increase, no corporate head tax, and no reliance on Springfield revenue that hasn't been granted yet. They are also calling for government efficiencies and avoiding borrowing and refinancing.
What they're saying:
They want all this done before pursuing revenue generation, which will be the sticking point in this conflict.
"What I hope is that we can find some common ground," said Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th). "It is my sincere hope that by sending this letter and outlining what the priorities are for my colleagues and I, that we work with the administration where there's places of commonality and we can come together to pass a budget that is responsible and thoughtful and it's not a budget passed on the backs of all of our working families here in the city."
The mayor's office responded, "We encourage our council partners to come to the table not only with a list of what they will not support, but with concrete solutions for closing the projected deficit."
The budget deadline is Dec. 30, 2026.
The Source: The information in this report came from Chicago aldermen, including Ald. Samantha Nugent, the Budget Accountability Coalition's letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson and the mayor's office.