CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A much smaller budget gap, and a larger police budget — that’s the outlook from Mayor Lori Lightfoot about next year’s spending plan for Chicago.
Lightfoot stressed that COVID-19 is not over but pandemic relief funds have helped and the city is projecting a budget shortfall for next year that's much less than before.
"Our projected gap for 2022 is $733 million. For context, our gap last year was $1.2 billion," Lightfoot said.
But at a time when some city council members are calling for a smaller police budget, the mayor plans the opposite.
"I will present a budget to the city council that increases resources targeted and strategic for the police department because those needs are absolutely there," Lightfoot said.
She said there's a need to recruit a more diverse next generation of officers and take better care of the officers who are now putting their lives on the line.
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