CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Wednesday marks the beginning of Chicago City Council’s budget hearings, with alderpersons and their residents upset with plans for a $300 million property tax increase.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said he's willing to consider new revenue ideas that might reduce his property tax proposal, but North Side Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) said that is no comfort to alders who have been trying to avoid any property tax hike.
“The fault there was that they didn’t listen to a lot of us in the first place about what things needed to get cut and what things needed to change,” he said. “That’s all coming to the forefront now, but I’ve been working with different organizations — like the Civic Federations — and listening to others, just to make sure that we have other options on the table.”
The first witnesses before the City Council Finance Committee will be the mayor's finance team: Budget Director Annette Guzman, Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworsky and Chasse Rehwinkle, the City Comptroller.
Waguespack, who served as Finance Committee Chair under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, said the meeting won’t resolve anything.
“I think most of our constituents are pretty contentious right now,” Waguespack said. “They’re pretty angry about this outright tax hike on top of the reassessments that they’ve had. Not seeing the administration really take themselves to task and figure out a different path to go has been problematic.”
The alderman said city council members will be proposing changes over the next few weeks.
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