CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Mayor Brandon Johnson says property taxes may need to increase in his new budget, but the money will help keep Chicago safe.
Johnson told WBBM the City is continuing to upgrade public safety despite the tight budget. For example, he noted, the City is moving forward with its program of having medical and mental health professionals answer emergency calls for people having mental health crises, instead of police.
"We also made a commitment to behavioral mental health, we've expanded those services," the mayor said. "We've moved away from a co-responder response. Now, we're freeing up police officers to actually respond to other critical needs of our city. And, we also made a commitment to community safety and critical investments there."
Funding for community anti-violence programs is up as well.
One Chicago alderman reacted to the Mayor's budget, saying that if his residents are going to be paying higher property taxes, he needs to make it clear what they will be getting for their additional money.
@wbbmnewsradio105.9 In a one-on-one interview, Mayor Brandon Johnson told WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore that the $300 million property tax hike in his proposed 2025 budget may not have to be as large as he has requested. Read more on wbbmnewsradio.com, and listen to the full interview in this Sunday’s edition of “At Issue,” which airs at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Johnson said, for one thing, people can look at public safety.
"Our investments in public safety have been wide and far and deep," Johnson said. "We're getting at root causes at violence in this city. We're also making the critical investments in just ensuring that we have more detectives.
"I made a promise to hire 200 more detectives by the end of my first term. We're going to meet that goal this cycle, by the end of this year. We're already seeing some of the great returns on that investment."
He said the rate of clearing murder cases is up to 54 percent, the highest it's been in a decade.
WBBM's Political Editor Craig Dellimore sat down with the mayor Thursday morning at City Hall to discuss the mayor's proposed budget. Listen to the full conversation in this week's At Issue program at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Sunday on WBBM Newsradio 105.9 FM.
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