Mayor Brandon Johnson’s resolution to chop in half his proposed $300 million property tax improve — after which pare it down additional to $68.1 million — doesn’t go far sufficient, 28 Metropolis Council members warned Thursday.
With time operating out to interrupt the funds stalemate, the alderpersons — together with chairs of the Black and Progressive Caucuses that Johnson wants to hold his funds over the end line — despatched a letter to the mayor demanding extra data and deeper spending cuts.
“Our constituents have made it clear that they’re unwilling to shoulder a property tax improve with out first making certain that town has accomplished its due diligence in contemplating spending cuts,” the letter acknowledged. “This can be a second the place each historical past and the general public demand that we do higher and we consider that’s completely potential, nevertheless it requires true collaboration.”
The letter calls for that the mayor:
- Freeze the summer season youth employment program he’s decided to broaden.
- Scale back a mayor’s workplace workers that has ballooned below Johnson and former Mayor Lori Lightfoot to pre-pandemic ranges.
- Get rid of unspecified “redundancies between departments” and the mayor’s workplace.
The letter additionally calls for a raft of data from high mayoral aides by Friday, together with an in depth report of spending cuts by division, and an itemized breakdown of the present proposal for income, efficiencies and federal pandemic aid.
The Council members additionally sought a report of “different charges or fines” the Johnson administration has explored for “potential income will increase” and an in depth record of recent and expanded packages, together with the variety of full-time staff assigned to every.
“There are nonetheless issues which have gone unanswered. … Council members nonetheless aren’t in settlement in the case of his funds proposal. There may be extra work to do to move a funds,” Ald. Andre Vasquez (fortieth), the mayor’s handpicked chair of the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights informed the Solar-Occasions in regards to the letter he spearheaded.
Aviation Committee Chair Matt O’Shea (nineteenth), who additionally signed the letter, argued that the furor over the firing of Johnson’s communications director, Ronnie Reese, and the mayor’s makes an attempt to power the resignation of Chicago Public Faculties CEO Pedro Martinez have created a “disaster of confidence.”
“Folks in Metropolis Council, folks throughout neighborhoods in our metropolis don’t belief authorities. And now, we’re supposed to place our belief in a funds vote after we nonetheless don’t have solutions?” O’Shea mentioned. “Once we nonetheless don’t really feel we’ve seen sufficient from the administration in making cuts, discovering extra efficiencies and redundancies?”
“That unique funds proposal was a $300 million property tax improve,” O’Shea added. “And now out of the blue, simply weeks later, it’s below $70 million? If we are able to get it down greater than $230 million, can’t we get it down just a little extra?”
Price range Committee Chair Jason Ervin (twenty eighth) refused to signal the letter. He predicted that cooler heads would prevail and that the 28-member coalition wouldn’t maintain because the clock winds down.
“Extra cuts are pointless. The residents have been very clear that they are not looking for decreases in companies. Extra cuts past the place we’re simply don’t make sense,” Ervin mentioned Thursday.
“Whereas folks say they need cuts, nobody places up precise gadgets to chop,” Ervin added. “Both folks must put specifics cuts on the desk which might be going to be significant aside from these little lobs backwards and forwards” or help the property tax improve.
Requested whether or not Johnson can muster the 26 votes he must approve a $17.3 billion funds that features a $68.1 million property tax improve, Ervin mentioned, “Actuality will set in. … We have now till the top of the 12 months. My hope and objective is that we end subsequent weekend and everyone can go house and have a Merry Christmas.”
State legislation requires the “company authority of every taxing district” to launch an “estimate of taxes to be levied” from property house owners “not lower than 20 days previous to adoption of its mixture levy.”
With that deadline, and the approaching Christmas and New Yr’s holidays in thoughts, the Johnson administration has scheduled a sequence of Metropolis Council briefings on the revised income and administration ordinances within the coming days to set the stage for a sequence of votes subsequent week.
The Solar-Occasions reported earlier this week that Johnson was working towards the framework of an settlement to finish the funds stalemate. That features shrinking a property tax improve to $68.1 million whereas eliminating assured primary earnings and small enterprise packages bankrolled by federal pandemic aid funds. The plan additionally contains elevating taxes on cloud computing and streaming companies. And there’s speak of elevating $14.4 million via congestion pricing.
