(Regina Shanklin / Agilent)
The Chicago City Council approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $ 16.7 billion budget on Wednesday, focusing on affordable housing, mental health, anti-violence, youth employment programs, and support for homeless Chicago citizens. With the support of progressive members who celebrated their spending plans.
The budget, which will come into effect on January 1, 2022, will increase property taxes by adding $ 38 a year to the $ 250,000 homeowner’s tax bill to cover the increase in living expenses and start paying. is included. According to city officials, the city’s infrastructure plan.
The final tax vote was 32-18. The budget itself has passed 35-15.
Lightfoot is filled with $ 1.9 billion in federal COVID-19 bailout cash and plans to spend $ 31.5 million on struggling Chicago citizens as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. By funding the program, we were able to ensure approval of our spending plans.
The plan will send $ 500 per month to 5,000 low-income households as part of the country’s largest test of basic income.
The plan included conservative members of the Chicago City Council, who accused them of “concessions” that did not alleviate poverty and discourage employment, and black executives of the Chicago City Council who urged the mayor to address the need first. Controversy with the members. For compensation to be paid to enslaved African-American descendants.
Spending plans include a $ 733 million budget gap for fiscal year 2022 and a $ 965 million shortfall in urban 2020 and 2021 budgets caused by the economic collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Fill in.
The city council also revised Chicago’s 2020 and 2021 budgets to repay the $ 465 million high-interest debt borne by the city in 2021 and the city postponed another 500 million after the approval of the U.S. rescue program. We have officially canceled our plan to borrow dollars.
In addition, the city will refinance $ 1.2 billion, save $ 250 million, and borrow an additional $ 660 million for the Chicago recovery program. This is the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic collapse it caused.
A representative of the city’s Office of Management and Budget has not answered a recurring question from Wednesday’s WTTW News about how much property tax revenue the city will have to repay these bonds after 2023. ..
As part of a series of last-minute budget changes, Lightfoot has agreed to support the establishment of a budget and government steering committee subcommittee to track planned spending.
In addition, Lightfoot has agreed to spend $ 6.3 million to hire 29 new employees at the city’s public mental health clinic. This is a 73% increase in staff, representing the largest investment of taxpayer funds in these clinics since former mayor Rahm Emanuel closed six of the city’s 12 clinics. 2011 clinic.
The city’s 2022 budget is 1.3 billion to provide city services and pay city workers between 2020 and 2023 to make up for the income lost as a result of the economy. You need about 68% of the dollar, the city’s share of the Federal Relief Fund. The collapse caused by the pandemic.
The budget will also make Juneteenth the city’s 10th annual paid vacation four months after President Joe Biden signed a federal holiday law to commemorate the end of slavery.
The plan also sent $ 2.3 billion to the city’s four pension funds, an increase of $ 255 million compared to 2021.
The spending plan has also allocated $ 275 million to send retroactive salary increases to Chicago police officers, as required by the city’s contract with the Fraternal Order of Police 7.
The budget also helps the community recover from the pandemic by spending $ 100,000 each on microgrant for all 50 city council members, despite concerns that it could create a slush fund ripe for abuse. increase.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
City Council Approves Lightfoot’s $ 16.7 Billion Budget with Progressivist Support | Chicago News
Source link City Council Approves Lightfoot’s $ 16.7 Billion Budget with Progressivist Support | Chicago News
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