A majority of Chicago City Council members sent a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson detailing their three biggest concerns with his 2026 budget proposal.
In a letter Wednesday signed by 27 alderpeople, they wrote that they are “gravely concerned” about reinstating the corporate head tax, which would charge large companies $21 per employee per hour. They argued the tax would discourage hiring and push employers outside the city.
“We ask your administration to model alternative budget scenarios that exclude this jobs tax,” they wrote.
Chicago previously had a corporate head tax in place, until in 2014, then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel — calling it a “job killer” — eliminated it as part of a campaign pledge.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office told NBC Chicago two alders have since requested their names be removed from the letter, but would not say which alders. That still means 25 of the 50 alderpeople are not on board with the mayor’s plan.
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The city is facing a projected gap of $1.12 billion next year. Johnson unveiled his 2026 budget plan on Oct. 16, and city council members are in the middle of budget hearings.
In the letter, alderpeople also asked Johnson to find efficiencies, meaning potential cuts. They are requesting that the city host a hearing with representatives from Ernst and Young, who drafted the interim budget recommendations.
“The Ernst & Young report identified hundreds of millions of dollars in potential operational savings, through procurement reform, fleet management, organizational streamlining, and benefit adjustments, that could strengthen City finances without harming job growth,” the letter said.
Alderpeople also expressed concerns that the city is too reliant on borrowing for operating expenses, particularly “the use of debt to fund firefighter backpay.”
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