Surprise: Mayor Johnson Of SCC Says Cities Finances Are Horrible

Well, certainly all the folks in Chicago would be willing to see their taxes raised, right?

Mayor Brandon Johnson says Chicago finances have reached “point of no return”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sounded the alarm Tuesday about Chicago’s finances.

“We have reached a point of no return,” Mayor Johnson said Tuesday. “The systems that people rely upon — education, health care, housing, our transportation — they are woefully underfunded, and everyone knows that. Everyone knows what, you know, my commitment is to progressive revenue. I can’t do this by myself.”

The mayor’s statement came in response to a question about a pension bill signed into law by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker last week.

The law will increase retirement benefits for police and firefighters, adding more than $11 billion to Chicago’s long-term pension liability.

Johnson said the state needs new progressive revenue options, but he did not name any specific plans.

Taxes. That would be taxes. And fees.

The city of Chicago has a massive $1.1 billion budget gap to fill for 2026. Mayor Johnson promising has promised not to once again pitch a property tax hike — which the City Council unanimously rejected for 2025 — but said last week he’s looking at creative ways to raise tax dollars.

Obviously, this would be the ultra-rich, who will just leave the city, as they have the means, and take their money and businesses with them. But, hey, maybe if the city hadn’t spent more than $400 million since 2022 on illegals they’d be in a better financial position.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Announces Plans To Expand $10M Sustainable Community School Program

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“We said the only way we’re going to truly transform our public school system in Chicago is by serving the entire child. We are never going to make any real progress until we reckon with the fact that the struggles of our students primarily result from the fact that 72% of students are from low income families,” Johnson said during the press conference. “The overwhelming majority of our students are Black and brown, and they come from poor and working class communities. Until we start to bring the community into our schools, in fact, until our schools become community hubs in every single neighborhood, we will not see real transformation. But that’s what we are so excited about today.”

Where’s the money coming from for the schools that consistently underperform? $1.1 billion in the hole.

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