CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Brandon Johnson this morning will unveil his first budget as Mayor of Chicago. His speech at 10 a.m. will answer some nagging questions.
City Council members and others will be looking for how the ongoing and growing migrant crisis will shape Mayor Johnson's spending plans. He has said Federal and State help will be needed to bear the burden of the migrant being sent to the Sanctuary State of Illinois.
While the mayor has said he won't cut the Police Budget, he hasn't said what he'll do about the vacancies in the ranks of sworn officers. Some new investments have started, and the crime numbers are coming down, but a lot more needs to be done.
Recently, the budget and finance team projected a $538 million budget shortfall. Today, he'll outline how he wants to close it. There are some certainties. The Mayor's already proposed a hike in the real estate transfer tax on home sales over a million dollars to fight homelessness. And, he's said he will not allow the planned automatic rise in the property tax to take effect. But, the mayor also said he won't abandon his plans to increase investments in long-neglected neighborhoods.
How he plans to do all of that in these challenging times may be the biggest answer he'll provide today.
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