CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Mayor Brandon Johnson called his $16.6 billion spending plan "the people's budget."
"I'm proud to say that, today, we present a balanced budget of $16.6 billion," Johnson said.
He's balancing what was a $500 million budget deficit without a property tax increase and with higher than expected revenue — including from the newly Bally's casino. Johnson, though, did not disclose the additional revenues on which the budget was balanced, nor did he detail the exact savings and efficiencies.
His floor leader, Northwest Side Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), unsurprisingly applauded the mayor's address.
"Prior administrations have balanced the budget on the backs of working class Chicagoans, asking the council to raise property taxes, asking the council to raise regressive fees and fines," he said. "This budget ends that practice. No property tax increase. No new regressive taxes. No increase to regressive taxes."
Johnson's message to the Chicago City Council was that he's keeping his campaign promises and meeting challenges.
On crime, the mayor said the city will have more police detectives.
"Seventy detectives have been promoted since I've taken office, and this budget creates 100 additional detective positions, [which is] moving us more than halfway toward the goal of 200 detectives that I made a commitment to doing during my campaign," Johnson said.
Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st), a former cop whose ward includes Norwood Park and O'Hare, pointed out that when you promote a patrol officer to detective, that makes for one fewer officer on the streets.
Southwest Side Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd), an outspoken supporter of the police, said she's cautious.
"I don't want to see the elimination of the 1,500 police vacancies that we still need to fill here in the Chicago Police Department," Tabares said. "There was no mention of beat cops, only detectives."
Elsewhere in the budget, the mayor made good on his promise to boost funding for mental health treatment and to have calls for some people in crisis handled by mental health professionals. That wasn't all.
"The reopening of additional mental health clinics by continuing funding for our existing clinics — and supporting two additional clinics within existing [Chicago Department of Public Health] spaces," he said.
The details of all of this will be debated in the coming weeks.
A budget overview can be found here.
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
