Chicago City Council delays vote on Mayor Johnson's budget amid property tax hike disagreements

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The highly-anticipated vote on the Chicago budget Friday will have to wait until next week after Mayor Brandon Johnson failed to get enough support.

The goal appears to be getting rid of the property tax hike all together, ABC7 was told, which has been a big point of contention for council members in the mayor's proposed $17.3 billion budget.

Mayor Johnson is vowing to find a compromise and now seems open to not raising property taxes after yet another budget setback.

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City leaders hope to bring the budget back up for a vote on Monday after a weekend that is shaping up to be all work and no play for alders and the mayor's budget team.

The City Council meeting opened with the usual pledge of allegiance and then prayer. And then it came to a screeching halt with a motion by the budget committee chairman, Ald. Jason Ervin.

"I move that we recess until Monday, December 16th at 1 p.m.," Ervin said.

The meeting was over before it really began.

The preemptory move to delay the vote and prevent an embarrassing defeat for the mayor was debated and then eventually passed, but it caused a bit of chaos in the gallery with public comment being nixed.

The mayor was met with jeers from the gallery. He quickly exited the chambers, along with his staff and security, in a very public moment of political defeat.

"I don't think he understands the implications of playing games like he is, and it's going to hurt taxpayers more than anybody else," 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack said.

The vote was delayed because the mayor's $68.5 million property tax hike was still too much to stomach for too many city council members. It was a fraction of his initial ask, but still untenable for many.

"f you're asking me if I'm open to ideas that could draw us down to a point where there's no raise in property taxes, all of those ideas are welcome," Johnson said.

The mayor delayed the budget vote because he didn't have support from at least 25 alderpersons.

"We've obviously witnessed more chaos on the City Council floor this morning, as the mayor had to abandon, yet again, an irresponsible budget," 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly said.

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"As collaborator in chief, I'm very heartened by the engagement of City Council," Johnson said.

"He's collaborated himself into a budget impasse, and had there been any level of collaboration, he probably could have avoided this situation," Reilly said.

Ervin said the goal in a revamped budget was to eliminate the property tax hike all together. The mayor conceding the tax hike complicated the budget process.

"However, as I've said repeatedly, you're asking me if I'm open to ideas that could draw us down to a point where there's no raising in property taxes, all of those ideas are welcome," Mayor Johnson said.

"What happened today was a result of listening to the city of Chicago," 50th Ward Ald. Debra Silverstein said. "Nobody in the city of Chicago wants a property tax. Nobody in the city of Chicago wants to pay more taxes. We are looking for efficiencies."

But if there is no budget deal before the end of the year, there is no provision to keep government operating for day to day expenses, adding urgency to this weekend's negotiations.

"I have a responsibility. City council has a responsibility," Johnson said. "Nobody in city government wants to see thousands of workers without a paycheck and millions of residents without city services."

The latest revenue plan already called for higher parking rates on weekends, along with increases for the cost of plastic shopping bags, streaming service taxes, and the addition of a congestion tax on weekend ride shares.

Earlier this week the Budget Committee also approved adding more speed cameras.

This latest maneuver has left several already frustrated aldermen even more angry.

"My message to the mayor is very clear: quit playing games," Alderman Ray Lopez said. "You are the leader of the city of Chicago. Act like it. Take this job responsibly and seriously because there are millions of lives on the line, people who are wondering if they are going to be able to pay their property taxes. People are wondering of they are being nickel and dimed just going to the grocery store. Our employees don't know whether they are going to have a job or not. Take it seriously."

In this city that's prided itself. on running like a clock, time is quickly running out. The weight of eleventh hour talks couldn't be heavier.

The city needs an approved balanced budget by the end of the month to avoid a city governmental shutdown.

"There's 18 days to go before we hit the deadline when all uncertainty will be unleashed on the city of Chicago," 15th Ward Ald. Raymond Lopez said.