City Council to vote on 2025 budget, which now includes controversial $40M short-term loan

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

The vote comes as Mayor Brandon Johnson reportedly abandoned his property tax increase proposal, which originally called for a $300 million increase in taxes for Chicago homeowners.

He first draft of the budget was shot down by councilors 40-0. And the latest budget proposal, which includes a $40 million short-term loan, is no guarantee, with some members urging the mayor to correct spending to pre-pandemic levels while bringing it in line with the inflation along with cuts to middle management.

“When you’re talking about borrowing $40 million, in my opinion, that’s not responsible,” said District 36 Councilman Gilbert Villegas said, “All we’re doing is delaying the inevitable of resizing the government. This administration is trying to maintain the same workforce, and it is simply unsustainable because we do not receive more funds from the federal government.

In a letter, a group of 15 City Council members demanded an additional $823.7 million in spending reductions, led by eliminating the $432,000 Office of the Vice Mayor budget and paying CTU non-faculty pensions of $175. million in 2025.

“We highlighted broad financial increases across multiple departments ripe for reductions, yet you have mischaracterized our efforts as attempts to eliminate police officers and firefighters, then trash collectors and trees.
trimmers and, lately, homeless support and youth employment programs. “We have focused on excess mid-level administrative staff within the bureaucracy, supervisory and administrative positions that create supervisor/employee ratios of nearly 1:3,” the letter read in part.

The letter also requests the following:

• Reconnect with SoundThinking for gunshot detection technology until a
  It is awarded to the successor supplier.
• 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 Satellite Police District 012
• Public safety contracts finalized with Local 2 Firefighters and Police Sergeants, as well as the New Retention Bonus, COVID Disciplinary Board and VRI Overtime
  settlements.

While the group of City Council members is pushing for a broad expansion of the cuts, the latest proposal includes some reductions, which Johnson long resisted.

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The cuts include cutting 10 positions in the mayor’s office and other reductions in middle management, while also aiming to improve efficiency in the city’s energy and security spending.

Aldo. Johnson ally Byron Sigcho-López called the proposal “a fair compromise.”

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

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