(CHICAGO) — There is feedback, a lot of it negative, over Brandon Johnson’s $17.6 billion 2027 budget. A number of alderman say they will not support a head tax that is part of the proposal. They rejected a similar proposal last year.
Among the critics, The Civic Federation. President Joe Ferguson released the following statement on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s FY2027 Budget Address:
“The Mayor’s proposed FY2027 budget represents an unacceptable abdication of responsibility to meet the fiscal realities facing the City of Chicago,” said Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson. “Last year’s contentious budget cycle made clear the urgent need for meaningful spending reforms and operational efficiencies. Despite investing millions of dollars in outside expertise and implementation assistance for a thoughtful roadmap of budget options, the administration has failed to act on these reforms, instead relying again on short-term fiscal maneuvers that perpetuate the City’s structural imbalance and shift costs onto future taxpayers. Borrowing to pay for recurring police misconduct settlements, exhausting one-time proceeds from the parking meter transaction to balance a single year’s budget, and failing to implement meaningful savings would only dig the City deeper into a financial hole.
“The delayed introduction of the budget leaves the City Council with a compressed timeline to evaluate consequential fiscal proposals. The administration must provide full transparency and cooperation throughout the remainder of the budget process, ensuring the Council has the information and resources necessary to scrutinize the proposal and develop responsible solutions that break the cycle of using short-term budget fixes to address recurring deficits.”
Alderman will now meet with department heads to try and prioritize spending needs. Last year the city council rejected parts of the mayor’s budget, passing something on their own.
