Chicago mayor, council remain deadlocked on budget as shutdown threat looms

Chicago mayor, council remain deadlocked on budget as shutdown threat looms

The Chicago budget showdown is coming down to the wire. Mayor Brandon Johnson spent Monday afternoon meeting with City Council members who oppose his proposed corporate head tax.

CHICAGO - The Chicago budget showdown is coming down to the wire. Mayor Brandon Johnson spent Monday afternoon meeting with City Council members who oppose his proposed corporate head tax.

Whether those discussions will produce a meeting of the minds — and avert what would be an unprecedented shutdown of city government — remains unclear.

What we know:

As of Monday afternoon, both sides remained entrenched with no agreement in sight. However, opposition aldermen said they may have developed a new plan that could secure a supermajority of council members and allow them to bypass the mayor.

On Monday morning, the alternative budget group announced it would drop its proposal to double the city’s garbage collection fee, saying it could balance the budget with additional cuts instead of new revenue.

But before the meeting began, the mayor’s budget director expressed skepticism that the aldermen’s revised plan added up.

Earlier, opposition aldermen released a statement saying they expected to gain more support for their proposal without the garbage fee. As of last week, they had 27 votes; they need 34 to override a mayoral veto.

Chicago alders give city budget proposal update

Chicago alders held a press conference on Monday afternoon, giving an update on their budget proposal.

The main sticking point remains the mayor’s corporate head tax, which would require the city’s largest companies to pay $33 per employee.

Business groups argue the tax would kill jobs, while the mayor maintains there is no evidence to support that claim. The proposal has become the focus of public sparring between outside groups — including a business-aligned political action committee and the Chicago Teachers Union — which are running dueling ads opposing and supporting the mayor’s budget.

What's next:

If no agreement is reached, the mayor and the City Council will face the task of determining which payments can continue during a shutdown.