CHICAGO URBAN DAILY
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)—City Hall’s budget battle just got its opening shot.
Twenty-nine members of the Chicago City Council signed a letter Monday warning Mayor Brandon Johnson not to propose a corporate employee head tax again in the 2027 budget — a move his progressive allies have pushed for after his failed attempt this year.
“A great city should court employers, not punish them for the act of putting people to work,” the letter reads. “We will not support a head tax, or any levy that makes it costlier to keep and create jobs for Chicagoans.”
The letter also demands no property tax increase and no reliance on Springfield revenue that hasn’t been approved — all as the mayor prepares his fourth budget address next month to close a projected $882 million gap.
The Power Shift
The 29-member coalition is the same one that rejected Johnson’s head tax and pushed through an alternative budget — and 29 votes is not veto-proof. The mayor’s office said it welcomes “good faith engagement” but wants alderpersons to come “with concrete solutions” to the shortfall.
Election-year politics, a massive deficit, and a council flexing muscle like the old Council Wars. Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as this fight heats up.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
