City councilors urge Mayor Brandon Johnson to make budget cuts

A group of 28 city councilors are sending a message to Mayor Brandon Johnson as time runs out to pass a Chicago budget: Make cuts, communicate more clearly and “do better.”

The City Council majority called on Johnson in a letter sent to him Thursday to make further cuts in his spending plan to put Chicago on a “sustainable path.” The public push shows the mayor and city councilors still have a long way to go as they continue to wrestle with the budget and the year-end deadline approaches.

“This is a moment when both history and the public demand that we do better, and we believe that is entirely possible, but it requires true collaboration,” the letter reads in part.

The councilors who joined represent a large part of the city council. They included the co-chairs of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus, the chairman of the Black Caucus and half of the “budget managers” Johnson had hired to help him negotiate with the City Council.

“We want the city to function. Nobody wants to see a government shutdown and we are aware of our responsibility in this process. And it’s not just about being some kind of rubber stamp,” said Ald. Nicole Lee, 11th, said. “We must be provided with the information we request to ensure we can do our own due diligence and make the best decisions possible on behalf of our constituents.”

A first vote on the budget could take place as early as December 13th, although it remains unclear what will actually be voted on. The City Council last month unanimously rejected Johnson’s plan to raise property taxes by $300 million.

The mayor then proposed a $150 million property tax increase and a nearly $150 million increase in taxes on subscription services and leased cloud computing storage space. His administration has since proposed an even smaller property tax increase of about $70 million in discussions with city councilors, without clarifying what will offset the revenue cuts.

The task of balancing the budget was only made more difficult by city councilors’ apparent rejection of a $10.6 million tax increase on wholesale alcohol sought by Johnson.

Facing opposition from the City Council, the mayor also chose to restore 162 vacant police positions, which was estimated to cost over $10 million. And he’s dealing with an unexpected tax change in Springfield that will cost the city another $37 million.

Johnson and the City Council must pass a budget by Dec. 31 or risk an unprecedented budget crisis that could shut down government services and hurt the city’s finances.

But despite the time crunch, many city councilors still have unanswered questions, Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40, said.

“There needs to be an understanding that there are still things that have not yet been fully resolved and finalized in a way that allows people to come to an agreement,” he said.

The 28 city councilors asked Johnson to provide them with a range of information by Saturday, including a report on the fees and fines he plans to use to close the 2025 budget gap, initially estimated at $1 billion.

The group also called for a detailed departmental report on spending cuts, a detailed breakdown of austerity measures proposed by the Johnson government and an analysis of budget shortfalls in the coming years.

And they’ve come up with a list of three “options” to keep spending stable or make cuts that are sure to anger the mayor. They called on Johnson to scrap a plan to increase spending on youth summer programs from $25 million to $45 million, reduce staffing levels in his office to 2020 levels and eliminate “layoffs” between city departments and his office .

“Our constituents have made it clear that they are unwilling to endure a property tax increase without first ensuring that the city has done its due diligence in considering spending cuts,” the letter said. “This is all sensible and necessary so that we can fully engage in the process of passing a 2025 budget and putting our city on the most sustainable path for the future.”

Johnson has rejected widespread criticism of his budget process, instead hailing his efforts as uniquely transparent and inclusive of city councilors. When asked on Thursday how the process was going, he again described himself as the “city’s chief collaborator.”

The mayor cited youth employment, workforce development, mental health care, affordable housing and safety as priorities. He called laying off city workers like police “not a path to solvency.”

“It’s still a robust process,” he said. “We will continue to ensure this process remains open and collaborative.”

Councilors expect to hear more about Johnson’s latest revenue-raising plan in briefings over the next few days. One possible solution you may hear about is already facing resistance from big business.

Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, advocates for expanding the area where rideshare fares include a downtown surcharge and adding weekends. Ride-hailing company Lyft acknowledged the effort in a mass email to customers Thursday, urging them to ask city councilors to vote against the measure.

“On top of the high cost of living and inflation, this is the last thing Chicago drivers need,” the company wrote.

Tribune reporter Alice Yin contributed.