Chicago City Council special meeting set for Thursday; property tax levy on agenda

CHICAGO - Mayor Brandon Johnson will preside over a Special Meeting of the Chicago City Council on Thursday.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

The agenda includes Ordinance O2024-0013679, which authorizes the Fiscal Year 2025 Property Tax Levy.

The meeting was originally scheduled for Wednesday but canceled.

Johnson has taken a proposed $300 million property tax hike off the table to work with council members on other ways to fill the budget. He met with some alders prior to today’s budget committee meeting. The alders had planned to vote down the property tax hike, but it appears they are now collaborating.

Johnson proposed the hike in property taxes, he said, to avoid massive layoffs that would have included first responders. The hike would cost homeowners more than $200 on a home valued at $250,000.

Now, he says, as a former teacher, sometimes things are done to get attention. He invited alders to come up with new streams of revenue.

Alderman William Hall (6th Ward) is on the City Council Finance Subcommittee on Revenue.

"Right now, I’m not voting on the budget because it’s not even complete, we’re in department hearings, we haven’t heard from the Chicago Police Department. We know we need investment there to keep residents safe. So we know we’re not quite there yet," he said.

A property tax increase is still a possibility, just not as big. The council has to have a budget by the end of the year.

A news conference is expected to follow today's meeting.