Mayor Brandon Johnson unveils first city budget, BGA puts it into perspective
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson's first budget for the city of Chicago offers relatively modest increases in citywide spending and staffing.
The roughly $18.2 billion in budgeted closes the $538 million projected budget gap without tax or fee hikes or layoffs. Overall spending growth is below the historic rate of change for city budgets, while the staffing increases are slightly higher than average.
City Council's departmental budget hearings begin on Monday Oct. 15. The Better Government Association Policy Team will be providing snapshots of individual departments, as well as the non-departmental "finance general" category.
To provide some perspective, the Better Government Association is looking at the historical context and proposed changes of each city department's budget.
Budget snapshots can be viewed online as they become available, and are also available for email delivery. Sign up at the Budget Snapshots 2024 landing page on the Better Government Association website.
