Overview
- City Council began a month of budget hearings, with many aldermen criticizing a proposed $1 billion TIF sweep they say would drain funds from long‑planned neighborhood projects.
- Gov. J.B. Pritzker told the Economic Club of Chicago he is "four‑square opposed" to the head tax, arguing it penalizes hiring and urging the city to find efficiencies instead.
- The proposal would charge companies with more than 100 employees $21 per worker per month, which the city estimates could raise about $100 million, and Johnson says roughly 97% of businesses would be unaffected.
- Johnson’s revenue package also seeks to raise the cloud computing tax to 14% with an estimated $333 million yield, expand rideshare fees in high‑traffic zones, and add a social‑media levy that could face legal challenges.
- Budget leaders said $552.4 million of the TIF surplus is slated to support a new CPS teachers contract, and Budget Chair Jason Ervin warned the plan will not advance without a CPS pension reimbursement agreement as hearings continue toward a year‑end vote.