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CHICAGO (WLS) — On Wednesday, Chicago’s City Council is convening for what could be the concluding meeting of 2025, yet uncertainty looms over whether city officials will finalize a budget before the year ends.
The challenge lies in securing enough support from council members to approve a budget necessary for Chicago’s continued operations, thereby averting an unprecedented citywide government shutdown.
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A central issue in the budget discussions is Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed corporate head tax. This proposal seeks to levy a charge on companies with over 500 employees, amounting to $33 per employee each month.
Initially, Johnson had aimed to impose this tax on businesses with just 100 employees, charging $21 per employee monthly.
Under the revised proposal, 175 companies within the city would be subject to the tax.
SEE ALSO | Chicago budget discussions reach stalemate, raising possibility of 1st-ever city government shutdown
Opponents to the mayor’s plan says this proposal is bad for business in Chicago, while the mayor’s staunchest supporters are backing his plan.
“I am optimistic that we will have a budget before the end of the year,” 34th Ward Alderman Bill Conway said. “There is enough of us in council that are not going to be ready to face the consequences if there isn’t. Now, it will not be the mayor’s budget, but that is because we are diligently working to ensure that there is an alternative.”
“Well my vote has been yes from the beginning,” 6th Ward Alderman William Hall said. “I don’t think that corporations should dine and dash. I think that their investment is what’s needed to keep the city stable, so I’m building in support of the mayor’s budget unapologetically because we need to invest in safety. We need to keep the cost of making sure our young people have jobs.”
It’s unclear if an alternative plan is ready to be presented to council Wednesday.
That budget calls for a higher liquor tax, rideshare congestion fees and a larger garbage collection fee.
The mayor said this targets working Chicagoans.
Some other topics at the meeting include a curfew proposal.
Alderman Hall said he’s introducing an ordinance to address violent teen takeovers downtown coordinated on social media.
The ordinance would require social media platforms to cooperate with city leaders when posts identifying possible teen takeovers are identified.
Platforms would then have to respond within six hours – and if they choose not to remove the content – they must explain why it’s not considered a public safety threat.
Failure to cooperate would also result in a $50,000 civil penalty.
Hall said he wants to work with Alderman Brian Hopkins to tackle a curfew policy.
