Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson won't commit to alternatives to property tax hike
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson wouldn't commit on Tuesday when asked if he would support possible alternatives to his proposal to raise property taxes to close a nearly $1 billion budget gap for 2025.
Members of the City Council have voiced their opposition to raising property taxes. Johnson seemed to be backing off perhaps a bit on the amount he proposed increasing taxes by, $300 million, as aldermen made suggestions for alternatives to raise revenue.
"It's about a collaborative approach," Johnson said during his news conference on Tuesday. "Here's what I've offered for the people of Chicago: You actually have a robust conversation about how we balance the budget."
But so far, some members of the City Council have said the mayor has not been having those conversations with every elected leader, sources told CBS News Chicago.
"Everyone will have an opportunity to engage," Johnson said. "Look, you all understand how parliamentary [procedure] works, right? So this is not me being slick. This is just what the rules are. We're having conversations in segments."
Dozens of aldermen called for a special meeting to vote down the mayor's proposed $300 million property tax increase. That meeting was pushed from Wednesday morning until Thursday afternoon.
As for alternative solutions to raise revenue, some aldermen recommend contributing less to the city's advance pension fund. The mayor maintains his promise to fund the pension program.
Other ideas include raising the garbage collection fee or increasing taxes on liquor to increase revenue.
Johnson would not say if he supports either of those ideas, only that he is refusing layoffs or furloughs to city staff.
"Those conversations are ongoing," Johnson said. "I can say this, that the conversations have been very positive."
Still, the mayor did not provide specifics on which ideas he supported or not.
"Well, I know that those ideas are on the table, but here's the good news: People are bringing more ideas to the table," he said. "That's a good thing."
Meetings on the City Council schedule meant to iron out budget details have been rescheduled. Many of those meetings are listed with dates to be determined.
The City Council has until the end of the year to pass a 2025 budget.
Plans to close charter schools
Chicago's new Board of Education scheduled a special meeting for Thursday amid plans to close seven Acero charter schools across the city. Johnson said the closures are concerning to him as teachers at the charter schools are members of the Chicago Teachers Union and it would impact about 2,000 students.
"I will not wait in order to pursue fully funding our education system to ensure that every single family in this city gets what they deserve," Johnson said.
The mayor said he has concerns about how Chicago Public Schools leadership is responding to the planned closures. The seven-school network has said it cannot operate with a budget deficit, declining enrollment and increasing personnel and facilities maintenance costs.
The system has plans for closures next year.
"Leadership with the Chicago Public Schools has to have a contingency plan as this type of trend continues to unfold, and right now, we haven't seen that type of leadership," the mayor said.
Johnson has also had concerns, sources said, about CPS head Pedro Martinez, who has opposed taking out a loan to pay for teachers' raises and employee pensions, something the mayor supports.
The mayor's newly-appointed school board will hold that special meeting on Thursday, although Martinez is not a topic on the public agenda. Johnson would not say if he'd direct the new board members to fire Martinez at the meeting.
"Here's what we're saying, is that there's a trend that's happening here, and CPS' leadership has to put together contingency plans to ensure that this trend doesn't become a part of the regular dynamic within our school district," Johnson said.
The meeting on Thursday will take place days after the body's first official meeting as a new board earlier this month and weeks before its Dec. 12 meeting. The newly-elected school board members will take their seats in January.