Chicagoans don't want a property tax hike or any tax hike without cuts, poll commissioned by alders says
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and City Council remain at odds over how to solve the near $1 billion dollar gap in next year's budget, 14 members of the Council did something they hope may solve the impasse.
They commissioned a poll—asking Chicagoans what they think the budget should look like.
After all 50 alders rejected the mayor's $300 million property tax hike two weeks ago, Mayor Johnson came back with a $150 million alternative. But a new poll—privately paid for by alders critical of the mayor's budget—shows voters have no appetite for that either, or for any property tax hike.
"There's an absence of leadership from the fifth floor when it comes to this budget—regardless of what the mayor says," said Ald. Ray Lopez (15th).
On this Thanksgiving week, the message is clear—trim the fat before coming and asking for money.
"Chicagoans want us to reduce government, trim the fat, cut down these departments before you ask for $1 more," said Lopez.
Lopez said this would go for any tax hike, whether on Netflix or property.
"Before we ask for $1 more, we have to know that we have squeezed this orange as much as we can," Lopez said.
In the poll, a total of 800 Chicagoans were asked a dozen questions about city leadership, finances, and ways to balance the budget. A company that polls for Democratic and progressive causes ran the poll.
Fourteen members of the Council paid for it from their political war chests—Brian Hopkins (2nd), Anthony Beale (9th), Peter Chico (10th), Marty Quinn (13th), Ray Lopez (15th), Derrick Curtis (18th), Silvana Tabares (22nd), Monique Scott (24th), Felix Cardona (31st), Scott Waguespack (32nd), Gilbert Villegas (36th), Anthony Napolitano (41st), Brendan Reilly (42nd), and James Gardiner (45th).
The results, the 14 say, should send a message to both the mayor and their fellow alders—if they greenlight a property tax hike, their political future will pay the price.
"Voters have made it quite clear—if aldermen vote for the $150 million tax increase, eight out of 10 voters are planning on picking a different alderman in three years," Ald. Reilly said.
Reilly pointed to the poll showing just 19% of Chicago voters support the mayor's revised $150 million property tax hike—while 81% support 8% to 10% cuts across all city departments.
"We don't want to see any big cuts to the Police Department, obviously, but pretty much everything else is fair game," Reilly said.
"Overwhelmingly, Chicagoans want us to decrease the footprint of government in the city of Chicago without cutting services," added Lopez.
Meanwhile, for a mayor who has called himself collaborator in chief, the poll shows just 16% of voters see him that way.
"I hope he takes these numbers to heart and understands that where people see him is not where he sees himself," Lopez said.
There are just over five weeks to go to hammer out a deal for the city budget. Otherwise, a year-end city shutdown looms.
"The mayor has created this artificial time crunch," Reilly said. "He could have proposed this budget months ago and failed to, so he's shortened the clock for us—hoping we will pass a flawed budget to avoid the city being shut down at the end of the year."
CBS News Chicago is expecting to hear more specifics from the alders on how deep the cuts would go in almost all city departments. The mayor has said job cuts are not the route he wants to take.
The Mayor's office had no comment on the poll.
