Majority of Chicago City Council members urging Mayor Brandon Johnson to identify additional ways to reduce expenses as budget deadline approaches

CHICAGO (WLS) — Time is running out for Chicago City Council to pass a budget.

More than half of all Council members are calling on the mayor to find more ways to cut costs.

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They want to make sure all possible cuts have been made before they vote on any property tax hike.

Homeowners in various neighborhoods of Chicago, such as Englewood on the South Side, are urging their aldermen to resist increasing property taxes, if possible.

“Everywhere I go, at every event, starting from Election Day, the message has been clear: ‘Please do not vote for an increase in my property taxes. I simply cannot afford it,'” stated 16th Ward Alderwoman Stephanie Coleman.

Coleman, together with more than half of the City Council members, penned a letter to the mayor and the budget team, expressing that they are unwilling to approve any raise in property taxes until they are assured that “the city has thoroughly explored potential spending cuts.”

The alders want the mayor to keep his youth employment budget at current levels, instead of adding 2,000 more jobs.

They also want the mayor to scale back his office’s staffing, to where it was in 2020.

But, with the end of year budget deadline looming, there are reports of progress.

It now appears property taxes will be raised by $68 million, which is inline with the consumer price index.

“All of the caucuses been coming together and coming up with what they can live with. Nothing is perfect here, but they coming up with a package that the majority of them will support. It look like we’re getting there. We’re very close,” 27th Ward Ald. Walter Burnett said.

“So, we have found levels of efficiencies. We have found more efficiencies in this next iteration that I’ve proposed, and I’m really grateful for City Council members, who rolled up their sleeves and engaged in this process,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

But, while Mayor Johnson remains adamantly against laying off city workers, there is pressure on unions to help out.

“The unions who don’t want the job cuts have to come back with something. So, we still working on all of those things,” Burnett said.

Alders are feeling pressure to finalize a budget before the holidays, and maybe by the end of next week.

“I think that within the next five days, that’s a very aggressive timeline,” Coleman said.

As work continues to finalize the budget, the chairman of the Budget Committee said he’s confident there will be the 26 votes needed to pass it when the Council meets on Dec. 13.