Mayor Brandon Johnson’s latest budget for Chicago includes a $40 million loan – NBC Chicago

After several delays, a chaotic meeting on Friday and several controversial proposals, the Chicago City Council is expected to vote on the latest budget at a meeting on Monday.

The vote comes as Mayor Brandon Johnson reportedly dropped his proposed property tax increase, which originally proposed a $300 million tax increase on Chicago property owners.

The first draft budget was rejected by the city councilors 40-0. And the latest budget proposal — which includes a $40 million short-term loan — is no guarantee, with some members calling on the mayor to revise spending to pre-pandemic levels while curbing inflation and cuts to middle management take into account.

“When it comes to borrowing $40 million, I think that’s irresponsible,” said Ald., 36th District. Gilbert Villegas said: “We are simply delaying the inevitable magnitude of government. This government is trying to maintain the same number of staff and that is simply not sustainable because we are not getting any more funding from the federal government.”

In a letter, a group of 15 City Council members called for $823.7 million in additional spending cuts, led by eliminating the budget for the office of vice mayor – which totals $432,000 – and paying out the CTU Non-teacher pension for 2025 of $175 million.

“We highlighted broad financial gains in several departments that are ripe for cuts; However, they have consistently mischaracterized our efforts as attempts to eliminate police officers and firefighters, then garbage collectors and trees.”
Trimmer and more recently homeless support and youth employment programs. “Our focus has been on the bloat of middle management within the bureaucracy, supervisors and administrative positions, resulting in a supervisor-to-employee ratio of nearly 1:3,” the letter reads in part.

The letter also requests the following:

• Reconnect with SoundThinking for gunshot detection technology to a
  Successor provider will be assigned.
• Authorization to enter into an agreement for the acquisition and investment in a
  new police district 008
• Authorization to enter into an agreement for the acquisition and investment in a
  new 012 Satellite Police District
• Entered into public safety contracts with Firefighters Local 2 and Police Sergeants as well as the New Retention Bonus, COVID Discipline Board and VRI Overtime
  settlements.

While the group of City Council members is pushing for a broad expansion of the cuts, the latest proposal actually includes some cuts that Johnson had long opposed.

The cuts include eliminating 10 positions in the mayor’s office and further cuts to middle management, while also improving the efficiency of the city’s energy and security spending.

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, a Johnson ally, called the proposal “a fair compromise.”

“This is the time to pass a responsible budget and come together to talk about solutions for a Trump administration that targets the city,” Sigcho-Lopez said.

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the latest proposal on Monday.