Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson lobbies state lawmakers for more funding, taxing power

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was in Springfield on Wednesday to lobby state lawmakers on several issues, especially for more state funding to local governments.

Johnson, and multiple other area mayors, said they aim to avoid what they called a "cut" to the state’s Local Government Distribution Fund (LGDF), which is the portion of state income tax revenue that goes to municipalities. 

Gov. JB Pritzker's office argued that he's proposed keeping the actual dollar amount going to local governments flat, but the mayors said their growing expenses render that amount inadequate.

"Our expenses in our cities have also increased," Johnson said at a press conference in Springfield. He added that "as the cost of living continues to go up, our revenue has not caught up with the expenses that we have."

State funding to local governments

By the numbers:

The mayors argue that the proposed reduction of the rate of revenues from 6.47% to 6.28% could result in their governments not receiving about $60 million that they would have otherwise gotten. 

The city of Chicago would lose around $12.7 million alone.

Pritzker’s office said while the tax rate for his fiscal year 2027 budget plan is lower, the dollar amount going to local governments is held flat. The governor’s office said that $60 million would then go back into the state’s general funds.

But, the governor’s office also said that state lawmakers have added more "funding mechanisms" for local governments via other sources.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the governor said:

"At a time when states are facing fiscal uncertainty driven by the Trump Administration, Governor Pritzker’s FY27 budget holds local governments harmless, maintains the same income tax dollars as last year, and continues record levels of overall support. Since 2019, the Governor has increased revenue sharing with local governments by nearly $1 billion — a 71% increase — and enacted more than $2.5 billion annually in additional ongoing resources through transportation funding, cannabis legalization, video gaming, casino expansion, and other measures. He has also given local municipalities greater authority to adopt local sales taxes without requiring voter referendums and eliminating certain state administrative fees on collections — giving communities greater flexibility and control over their fiscal future."

While the actual dollars going to local governments remain the same, the Illinois Municipal League, which represents the interests of local villages and cities in the state, argued the natural growth in state funding via the LGDF is "unacceptable."

Local leaders said their share of the LGDF funds has decreased from about 10% about 15 years ago, which has resulted in the loss of almost $15 billion for their coffers as the state budget has grown over that time.

A group of mayors on Wednesday said they want the rate restored to that 10% rate.

Bears stadium bill

What they're saying:

Johnson also continued to argue that the Chicago Bears should not leave Soldier Field for its home games, although the team has already said it will build a new stadium in either suburban Arlington Heights or Hammond, Indiana.

Earlier this week, Johnson criticized the bill being considered by state lawmakers to essentially give the Bears, and other developers of so-called "megaprojects," a long-term break on their property taxes. He said the idea of giving tax breaks to large corporations like the Bears, which is worth about $8 billion according to Forbes, is "short-sighted."

The mayor didn't explicitly say he wanted to convince lawmakers to scrap the megaprojects bill, but he pointed out the apparent divisions among state lawmakers and Pritzker about what the final legislative product should be. Johnson appeared to reference remarks by Pritzker that changes would need to be made to the version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives before it can pass the Senate.

"We already know the governor doesn't like the bill. The Bears do not like the bill," Johnson said. "There are members in the Senate…both sides of the aisle that do not like the bill. So we have a bill that no one likes, that would give, potentially, property tax relief to a major corporation, and you have mayors here with very limited options in which we're trying to find property tax relief for everyday people."

The regular legislative session for the General Assembly ends on May 31.