NOTE: NBC Chicago will offer a live stream of Johnson’s budget address beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
As Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson delivers his 2025 budget address during a City Council meeting Wednesday, he is expected to propose something he promised wouldn’t while on the campaign trail: a property tax increase.
The address is set to take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, as the city faces a budget shortfall of nearly $1 billion for fiscal year 2025. NBC Chicago will stream the address live in the player above, on the NBC Chicago streaming channel and on NBC 5.
Details around the proposal remain to be seen, and its unclear if Johnson will be able to garner enough support to push a measure through.
In order for such the proposal to pass, Johnson needs 26 votes by Dec. 31. As of Wednesday, 14 alderman signed onto a letter to Johnson yesterday, sharing their community’s demands and concerns and saying they would not support a budget that includes a tax hike.
“We cannot support a budget that includes a property tax increase,” the letter read in part. “Period. The recently released poll shows that 90% of Chicagoans oppose increasing property taxes as an action the city could
take to raise revenue. Of those 90% of residents, 79% strongly oppose raising property taxes. This is a non-starter for us and our constituents.”
The letter also supported a renewed ShotSpotter contract, finalizing a a contract for Chicago firefighters and keeping the police budget in tact.
The Civic Federation, a non-partisan government research group, suggested the city look at other alternatives — like layoffs, furloughs, eliminating job vacancies or raising trash collection fees — before a property tax hike.
While Johnson did announce a hiring freeze last month, labor unions, which helped get Johnson elected, have pushed back against extensive cutbacks.
According to estimates, the city’s projected budget deficit for FY 2024 will clock in at approximately $222.9 million, which is still below previous estimates from earlier in the fiscal year.
With the expiration of COVID assistance and other factors taken into account, the budget deficit for FY 2025 is estimated to be $982.4 million, according to city Budget Director Annette Guzman’s office.
The Chicago City Council still needs to vote on a new budget for the coming fiscal year, but Johnson has told reporters he was willing to consider a variety of options to help close the gap.
According to the city, budget hearings are set to begin next week.