Brandon Johnson unveils Chicago's 2024 budget

CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson unveiled his first budget on Wednesday at City Hall.

The $16.6 billion budget for 2024 calls for expanding social services and jobs for kids, but holds the line on property taxes. 

"This budget, and multiple budgets to come, it's the people's budget," said Johnson. 

Some aldermen, however, are questioning whether the math adds up.

In an impassioned speech to the City Council, Johnson said his 2024 budget changes the way Chicago does business, and for whom. 

"This is the moment to finally have a budget that reflects the interests and values of the people," Johnson said to applause.

The budget does not call for any major increase on property taxes and fees and it does not include any layoffs of city personnel.

Nor does the spending plan include any of the controversial revenue proposals that were part of Johnson's campaign, like a corporate head tax or a mansion tax.

On the public safety front, the budget calls for a small increase in police funding for more detectives and to hire nearly 400 civilians to free up officers for the street. 

"It was reassuring to hear no property tax increases were included and that there would be no cuts to the Chicago Police Department," said 19th Ward Ald. Matt O'Shea. He says those are the two most important issues for his constituents.

The budget does include money for parts of Johnson's progressive agenda, such as re-instituting the Department of the Environment, adding non-police 911 response teams, re-opening two health clinics and paying for at least 4,000 additional youth jobs.

Johnson was light on details when it comes to how he plans to pay to shelter and care for the thousands of migrants bused to Chicago over the past several months.

"Supporting this humanitarian endeavor and investing in our residents is not an either-or situation," Johnson said. "We can do both and we will."

But some aldermen are angry that they got the speech, but not the actual budget. Something that usually arrives the very same day.

"Twenty-four years of being here, after the mayor's budget speech we get both," said 19th ward Ald. Anthony Beale. "This is the first time we've never got both."

Beale also questions where the money is coming from for all the new programs.

"He didn't identify any funding source, any new taxes, any new fees. So it's amazing how we can do all of that without identifying how you're gonna pay for all of this," Beale said. "The math definitely doesn't add up."

That deep dive into the budget's financial weeds will happen at a series of upcoming council budget hearings.