After the celebration of a narrowly approved Chicago budget deal Monday, the hangover from what it will cost quickly followed a day later.
Ald. Brian Hopkins, who opposed the $17 billion deal, said Mayor Brandon Johnson may have not raised the property tax, but he raised about every other tax during the long-delayed vote on the 2025 Chicago budget.
"We reached pretty deeply into your pocket yesterday," Hopkins said.
According to some alders, the final version of the plan arrived in their e-mail boxes around 1:15 a.m. Monday. It did not include the $68 million property tax increase they said would have soured the deal. Instead, it included a bundle of taxes and fees designed to bridge a billion-dollar budget gap.
Among the additions:
- A parking rate tax increase, from 22% to 23.25%, that will raise more than $13 million.
- A check-out bag tax boost, from 7 to 10 cents a bag, that will raise another $5 million.
- An amusement tax increase aimed at streaming services and cable TV, up from 9% to 10.25%, that will raise another $13 million.
But the big one, according to some alders, is an increase on personal property leases that will bring in a whopping $128 million. That's almost half of what the original property tax increase would have raised.
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The mayor on Tuesday focused on the increases to programs he said have historically been underfunded.
"Here is the good thing about this budget," Johnson said. "We made critical investments that the people of Chicago have been calling for."
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He stressed that the budget includes no property tax increase and no cuts to jobs or city services. But he said he is not giving up on seeking other "progressive revenue" streams that could include city income taxes.
Ald. Scott Waguespack of the 32nd Ward said the budget increases will affect everybody. He also said the budget does nothing to address structural problems with Chicago finances.
Hopkins said the increasing taxes and crime are two of the factors driving residents from Chicago.
"Time after time, I hear from people saying taxes just got ridiculous," he said. "Those are two things we can do something about."
