CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago aldermen are resisting the Lightfoot Administration’s plans for a $94 million property tax increase as hearings on the 2021 budget continue this week.
At a hearing Tuesday, several members of the City Council Finance Committee suggested alternatives to a tax increase, like allowing gambling machines or eliminating more vacant jobs.
Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney said the city’s budget experts should have anticipated the need for more revenue for pensions and other expenses and taken steps earlier.
But Chief Financial Officer Jennie Bennett pushed back, saying the budget would be balanced if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. As to the virus, Bennett said, no one could have anticipated the disease and its impact on the economy.
Another big hearing is scheduled Wednesday afternoon.
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