City Council Members Call Special Meeting to Shoot Down Johnson’s $300 Million Property Tax Increase

Twenty-Nine Aldermen Unite to Block Mayor’s Proposal

With Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $300 million property tax increase headed for defeat, City Council members want to get it over with to prevent the mayor from running out the clock.

Twenty-nine alderpersons co-signed a call for a special Council meeting at 9 a.m. to vote down Johnson’s property tax increase and force the mayor back to the bargaining table to find alternative sources of revenue, budget cuts or a combination of the two.

A Call for a Special Meeting

If 26 members show up, they’ll have the quorum they need to proceed with a special meeting. However, they will need 34 votes to suspend the rules and immediately consider and then vote on the increase, which has not yet been approved by committee.

Aldermen Predict Victory

Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) and Anthony Beale (9th), Johnson’s leading Council critics, are certain there will be enough votes to both suspend the rules and then kill the tax hike. In fact, Lopez predicted all 50 members would show up, fearing it will send the wrong message to tax-weary constituents if they don’t.

“The mayor has postponed, delayed and deflected to try to force City Council to be put into a corner where they have to vote on his property tax, his budget because we don’t have enough time to do this in a deliberative, thoughtful and collaborative way or Chicago shuts down and he forces the first government shutdown in history and blames City Council for it, even though he’s the one who authored the delays,” Lopez told the Sun-Times.

“We are not going to be played. People deserve better. City Council is basically short-circuiting his political gimmicks in order to have a real conversation with him and his leaders about what we want as our budget priorities and how we would pay for that.”

A Mayor’s Strategy

Beale accused the mayor of postponing his budget address by two weeks in the political equivalent of a basketball team ending a game by going into a four-corners offense.

“We believe that the administration is trying to run the clock out to force aldermen to vote for something before the end of the year,” Beale said.

“That’s why the budget was delayed. … Everything is delayed to run the clock out to force the aldermen to vote for something under the pretense that we have to pass something before the end of the year. We defeat that by re-setting the clock and forcing the administration to come up with something that’s better for the city of Chicago.”

Southwest Side Alderman Weighs In

Southwest Side Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) said there’s no appetite for what would be Chicago’s largest property tax increase in a decade. It would be a double-whammy for Chicago homeowners and businesses already reeling from higher bills in the wake of reassessment.

“If we know that today, recognizing that the process started two weeks late, I don’t want to be in a situation where, at the eleventh hour, we don’t have time to make adjustments,” Quinn said.

“Strategically, it makes great sense to move this process up so we’re not backed up against the corner where it’s a take-it-or-leave-it scenario.”

If the Property Tax Increase is Defeated

If and when the property tax increase is defeated, the Council will be on the clock to replace that $300 million, either by cutting spending, raising revenue or both.

During opening day of Council hearings on the mayor’s proposed $17.3 billion budget on Wednesday, alderpersons had suggested everything from skipping or reducing a $275 million pension advance to using federal stimulus money and reducing redundant layers of middle management.

There was also talk of challenging Johnson’s allies in organized labor to accept the pay cuts that come with unpaid furlough days, canceling $55 million in new programs and merging the Chicago Board of Elections and Commission on Animal Care and Control with Cook County’s version of those agencies.

Conclusion

The fate of Johnson’s $300 million property tax increase hangs in the balance as City Council members prepare to vote on the proposal. If the increase is defeated, the Council will need to find alternative sources of revenue, cut spending, or a combination of both to balance the budget.

FAQs

Q: What is the proposed property tax increase?

A: The proposed property tax increase is $300 million, which would be the largest in a decade.

Q: Why are City Council members opposing the increase?

A: City Council members believe the increase is too high and would be a burden on Chicago homeowners and businesses.

Q: What are the alternatives being considered to replace the property tax increase?

A: The Council is considering cutting spending, raising revenue, or a combination of both to balance the budget.

Q: What is the significance of the special meeting?

A: The special meeting will give the Council the opportunity to vote on the property tax increase and force the mayor to return to the bargaining table to find alternative sources of revenue, budget cuts, or a combination of both.

Q: What is the deadline for passing the budget?

A: The deadline for passing the budget is the end of the year, but the Council is working to pass a budget before then.