Today, Mayor Johnson announced his proposal for the 2025 City of Chicago Budget. See below for what we’ve learned so far!
What’s Included in this Year’s Budget?
We will have a full analysis of this year’s budget in the coming week (check out our 2024 Budget Transparency Tool to get a sense of what will be included), but in the meantime, here are a few things to pay attention to:
- $300 million property tax hike. Mayor Johnson proposed a tax hike to balance the projected $982.4 million budget gap, along with the $570 million in surplus tax increment financing funds, and eliminating 734 vacant positions in city government, including approximately 400 from the Chicago Police Department. He also proposed increasing the alcohol tax to keep pace with inflation, with a projected net of an additional $10.6 million.
- $40 million for a unified shelter system. While this investment will add 3,800 new beds to the shelter system, the proposal will result in a net loss of shelter beds, from 8,000 to 6,800, when accounting for the closure of current migrant shelters. Currently, 5,000 migrants are relying on these shelters, while this proposal only includes 3,800 new beds to make up for these shelter closures.
- $213.6 million for community safety initiatives, including $100 million in violence prevention programs, and $30.6 million in gender-based violence prevention.
Many neighbors have already reached out to us with concerns about the property tax increase, which is a concern that we share. It is a reality that city services depend on revenue, including taxes, and we certainly don’t want to see layoffs of city employees or significant reductions in the safety and services that neighbors depend on. But it is also a reality that neighbors are already struggling under the burden of property taxes, and we want to make sure we are providing a fair return on their investment before we ask them to make more sacrifices.
While we applaud the transition to a unified shelter system, we also have concerns about the transition. The current proposal risks leaving over 1,000 people ending up on the streets in the middle of a Chicago winter, once current migrant shelters are closed. The City has also not shared details on how they will manage the entry of new arrivals into the existing shelter system, which is deeply concerning, especially given that there is already a waitlist for shelter beds. Increasing the city’s bed capacity will ensure that we don’t leave anyone out in the cold.
We just received the full proposal yesterday, so our next steps are to go through it line by line to see where there might be areas where we can improve efficiencies or explore other options to decrease the tax burden, while avoiding layoffs or significant reductions to city services that neighbors depend on. Our job over the next few weeks will be to make sure we are delivering the most fair and responsible budget possible, and we are committed to providing transparent updates to neighbors throughout the process.
Independent Budget Assessments
As always, we want to focus on improving our processes so that the budgets going forward are more accessible, transparent, and accountable. In that spirit, our office will be hosting budget watchdog groups from across the political spectrum to present their analyses on this year’s budget to fellow alders. We encourage neighbors to follow the organizations below for their coverage of the 2025 City Budget!
Schedule of Budget Hearings
On November 6th, the Committee on Budget & Government Operations will begin public hearings on the FY25 Department, during which City Council members will ask questions about appropriations and management issues of the city’s major departments and agencies.
We encourage you to attend the hearings and give public comment if you’re able! If you’re not able to come in person, you can watch the public hearings through the City Clerk’s website. See below for the schedule of this year’s hearings:
- Wednesday, November 6th, 12pm: Hearing on the Full Budget
- Office of Budget and Management (OBM)
- Department of Finance (DOF)
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer
- Thursday, November 7th, 10am: Hearing on Regulatory Agency/Social Service
- Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR)
- Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH)
- Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities (MOPD)
- Department of Buildings (DOB)
- Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS)
- Friday, November 8th, 10am: Hearing on Economic Development and Arts
- Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events (DCASE)
- Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP)
- Department of Housing (DOH)
- Department of Planning & Development (DPD)
- Chicago Public Library (CPL)
- Saturday, November 9th, 9am: Hearing on Oversight
- Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
- Board of Ethics
- Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA)
- The Police Board
- Community Commission for Public Safety & Accountability (CCPSA)
- License Appeal Commission (LAC)
- Tuesday, November 12th, 10am: Hearing on Public Safety Day 1
- Public Safety Administration (OPSA)
- Office of Emergency Management & Communication (OEMC)
- Chicago Fire Department (CFD)
- Wednesday, November 13th, 10am: Hearing on Public Safety Day 2
- Chicago Police Department (CPD)
- Thursday, November 14th, 10am: Hearing on Infrastructure Day 1
- Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS)
- Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT)
- Department of Technology and Innovation (DTI)
- Friday, November 15th, 10am: Hearing on Infrastructure Day 2
- Department of Water Management (DWM)
- Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA)
- Department of Fleet & Facility Management (2FM)
- Saturday, November 16th, 9am: Hearing on Independently Elected City Office and Regulatory Agency
- City Treasurer
- City Clerk
- Department of Administrative Hearings
- Department of Environment (DOE)
- Chicago Animal Care & Control (CACC)
- Monday, November 18th, 10am: Hearing on Administrative Services and Independent Agency
- Department of Human Resources (DHR)
- Department of Procurement Services (DPS)
- Chicago Board of Elections
- Department of Law (DOL)
This budget impacts every single Chicagoan, so we encourage you to tune in and follow along! We’ll include weekly updates on what we learn from the hearings on the 40th Ward blog and in the newsletter; you can also follow us on Instagram for daily downloads of the hearings.
As always, our goal is to provide transparency and accountability about the budget to our neighbors, because it’s your money, and you should know how it’s being spent!