(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A property tax hike might now be off the table at City Hall.
On Sunday, Alderman Gilbert Villegas confirmed with WBBM that Mayor Brandon Johnson has dropped plans to seek a $68.5 million property tax hike.
However, it's not clear if this proposal from the mayor will win him enough votes from the City Council.
“Fifteen aldermen, we had started pushing back on the mayor's proposed property tax increase of $300 million. And as a result of that, the mayor dropped it from $300, to $150, to subsequently to $68.5. And now has dropped it to zero.
“And that's been because of the fact that the mayor and his administration are not listening to what Chicagoans want. Chicagoans want government to be more efficient, right size, and up until this point, the mayor has resisted.”
The mayor has been hoping to get a budget deal done on Monday.
This comes after Mayor Johnson recessed the scheduled City Council meeting on Friday after it became apparent that he would not get the votes he needed to pass the budget.
Bringing the property tax increase down from $300 million to $68.5 million had helped, but it still wasn’t enough.
The mayor and the City Council have until Dec. 31 to approve a balanced budget plan for 2025.
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