Chicago Budget Hearings Open Monday on Mayor's Plan to Close $882.4 Million Gap
The Chicago City Council's Committee on Budget and Government Operations opens departmental budget hearings at 10 a.m. Monday, November 2, with the Office of Budget and Management, the Department of Finance and the chief financial officer's office presenting Mayor Brandon Johnson's plan to close a projected $882.4 million budget gap for 2027. Hearings with every city department will run for more than two weeks.
The mayor's revenue plan would raise the sports wagering tax from 10.25 to 20 percent (an estimated $37 million), lift the personal property lease transaction tax from 15 to 20 percent ($234 million), add a 15-cent tax on non-medical, non-food containers and packages ($9 million), raise the off-premises liquor tax to 3 percent ($13.8 million), and levy an 'Equitable Employer Tax' of 25 cents per employee per month on firms with 125 or more Chicago employees (nearly $102 million) — a proposal many alderpeople already oppose.
Alderpeople are also expected to press the administration on its plan to seek $480 million in borrowing authority to cover settlements of police misconduct cases, including a $260 million global settlement tied to the Reynaldo Guevara cases. Chief Financial Officer Ashlee Gabrysch said the settlements are expected to save the city $300 to $400 million compared with continued litigation.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 芝加哥市政厅正门。ajay_suresh 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Chicago City Hall entrance. Photo by ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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- 2026-10-31Chicago Budget Hearings Open Monday on Mayor's Plan to Close $882.4 Million GapThis story
