Alders pick apart Mayor Johnson's budget
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Ald. Anthony Beale and other opponents of Mayor Brandon Johnson speak to reporters Wednesday after Johnson's budget address. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
Moments after leaving Mayor Brandon Johnson's budget address Wednesday, alders offered takes ranging from robust support to claims that Johnson's budget is "illegal."
Why it matters: The yawning divide suggests a long, grueling and ultra-political budget season as Johnson and the council try to close an $882 million budget gap while running for reelection.
What's inside: Mayoral critics believe Johnson has proposed insufficient cuts while adding new expenditures and taxes, including:
- A corporate head tax.
- A higher personal property lease transaction (PPLT) tax, also called a cloud tax.
- A nearly doubling of the sports wagering tax, from 10.5% to 20%.
- A 15-cent "package waste" tax on parcels delivered to Chicago.
- A higher off-premises liquor tax.
What they're saying: Moderate to conservative alders stood together in opposition to the plan after the meeting, each with their own specific concerns.
- Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) argued the budget is illegal because it's "imbalanced," claiming its TIF spending on CPS amounted to $200 million more than what is available. "So how do we get to over $500 million in TIF sweep without canceling [ward] projects? … That
- is nothing but a bailout of CPS."
- Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) noted that the city last year ratified a budget that froze the PPLT/cloud computing tax at 15% until 2028 and that the mayor's proposal to boost it to 20% would violate that.
- "It was disingenuous for the mayor to put the head tax into the budget after 29 of us signed that letter [opposing it]," Ald. Bill Conway (34th) said. "Clearly, that part of it's dead on arrival."
The other side: Ald. William Hall (6th) praised Johnson's plan for avoiding property tax increases and for being "an invitation for corporations to come to areas that are socially, economically disadvantaged," referring to the provision to waive the head tax in l
ow-income areas.
- "What is clear is that the best way to balance our budget is to challenge corporations to pay their fair share of taxes, and I'm going to continue to do that," Johnson said.
Middle ground: Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), who has broken with the mayor on several issues, doesn't fundamentally oppose the head tax or raising the PPLT but worries about new borrowing.
- He's also concerned that the election year will drive people to "take stances that are independent of the math because of how it's playing out publicly," he said.
State of play: Members of the caucus who opposed the mayor's 2026 budget don't expect to propose their own this year but say they'll definitely request amendments.
What's next: Vasquez is urging his colleagues to avoid the heel-digging and delays we saw in December 2025.
- "That's going to require not just talking past each other, but listening to each other to see what we can all stomach and support in the end."