Mayor Brandon Johnson will propose property tax increases when presenting 2025 budget this week

On October 30, 2024By Karl

CHICAGO — Brandon Johnson has repeatedly promised not to raise city property taxes while campaigning for mayor ahead of his April 2023 election.

but with Chicago faces budget deficit Johnson, who has a budget of nearly $1 billion for 2025, appears unlikely to fulfill his campaign promise as he prepares to unveil his second budget as mayor this week.

Sources told WGN that the mayor told WGN he wanted to propose increasing property taxes when presenting his 2025 budget plan on Wednesday, but Johnson did not specify by how much.

A briefing will be held behind closed doors over the next 48 hours.

“As I’ve said before, we have to discuss everything about what’s on the table,” Johnson said.

Moreover, Crain’s Chicago Business reports Johnson will rely on property tax increases to avoid fights with workers.

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The city faces a Dec. 31 deadline to pass the budget.

Less than two weeks before his election, Johnson posted on social media that he would not raise property taxes because “I will make sure rich corporations pay their fair share.” Chicago Tribune report this week.

Johnson kept that promise in last year’s budget, but things appear to have changed.

“Look, property tax was used. Raising property taxes has been used time and time again to protect the interests of just a handful of people. I made a commitment to invest in people and not raise property taxes. This was my promise. “I put it in writing and kept my word,” Johnson told WGN News in November 2023.

Crain said the mayor earlier this month Considering the layoffs and property increases To close the city’s massive budget deficit in 2025.

The latest Tribune report notes that Johnson has broken with his predecessor Lori Lightfoot’s policy of gradually increasing taxes alongside the inflation rate. Before Lightfoot, Rahm Emanuel signed off on a massive tax increase to start paying off Chicago’s accumulated pension debt.

The Tribune reported that nearly 80% of the city’s property taxes in recent years have been devoted to closing huge pension gaps.

The Civic Federation has released revenue and non-revenue options as city leaders try to balance the budget. Mayor Joe Ferguson said Johnson needed to speak honestly as budget season begins.

“We have a communication problem right now,” Ferguson said. “No one quite understands what’s going on. We have a kind of broad brush; everything is on the table, but we don’t know who sets the table. We don’t know who’s leading the dinner conversation. We don’t know anything.”

Six weeks ago, Johnson announced a hiring freeze, but WBEZ reported that the city had hired or promoted nearly 500 employees since then. Confusion on issues like this can make it difficult for the mayor to find a Council majority to sign off on his budget.

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