>> Mayor Brandon Johnson, 16.6 billion dollar budget plan suffered a major blow this week when the City Council's finance committee rejected in a 25 to 10 vote.

A number of older people oppose.

Johnson's proposed head tax on corporations arguing it would stifle business growth in Chicago.

Johnson says he's standing for setting up a debate likely to run close to that December 31st.

Deadline.

Joining us now, our 6th Ward Alderman William Hall representing communities, including Chatham, Auburn, Gresham and Englewood.

34th Ward Alderman Bill Conway representing downtown communities like the West and South Loop and over Zoom First Ward Alderman Daniel representing communities like Logan Square, West Town and Worker Park.

Gentlemen, welcome.

Welcome back.

Thanks joining Of course, first I want to get everyone's reaction.

Your initial reaction when Mayor Johnson's reading plan was voted down in committee yesterday, although we all start with Well, I said that again, Trump has found his way into City Hall.

These are some of the same tactics we saw in DC.

>> With a government shutdown.

And again, we now see him in the city of Chicago.

scenic picking.

We see arguments but no solutions, no counters to negotiate.

And so essentially at the end of day, I see the beginning of a standout until we find a budget.

But I believe make sure that Chicagoans are safe with financially and also neighborhood.

So again, my hope is that these Trump tactics don't last long as City way.

>> You know what I hear in the 34th war and all over the city as we need to show taxpayers that we are being aficion with their tax dollars before we go asking for more Ernst and young identified several areas of savings that we heard about in a hearing last week.

And we need to really go back to departments and show taxpayers.

We're being official with those dollars that we have worked that out before we anything can strike ahead.

Tax.

Yeah, we're gonna get a little bit more into that report from Ernst and Young as Bottom in most spots in question to you what it say to you yesterday when that failed committee.

>> I think was sobering.

We know that we have our divides in terms of how we move forward with this budget.

But I think all of us, the 3 of us, the 50 of us could agree.

We want a stable and safe city.

We want to train spirit budget.

people Chicago can trust.

And now we have a clear sense of the work that it's going to take to get there.

>> Okay, I'll you that vocal supporter of Johnson's budget proposal and of the head text.

You see a way forward without it.

Yeah.

See, I don't see a way forward unless corporations pay their fair share.

Let's look at this.

Number one, the top 5 performing corporations in Chicago are kept valued at close over half a billion rapid.

So you have corporations that are worth over half a billion dollars.

Number one, we've made concessions, right?

If your corporation is and see the area, if you are hiring from employees from CD areas, tourist zones, investment zones, you exempt.

So we've made concessions are ready for corporations.

And in those concessions, we are saying that this tax will reinvested directly into the communities.

Number one that need investment, especially around by was meant to help support.

So I do believe that we allow corporations to continue matter of fact, 9 billion dollars was made by corporations in the span of 4 months.

And so it's now the time for corporations to pay for the roads that they drive people to the utilities that they use, stop breaking the backs of the employees and using them as pawns to threaten week except this.

This failed yesterday and financed.

25 to 10.

Yeah.

How do you see?

But what is the path forward if your if your colleagues exit?

25 at the end of the day again, you can vote against, but we have not seen account a solution to this issue to Nick pick over reports and nitpick over things it doesn't solve.

The problem is nothing more than politics.

Again, I want to talk to the those who go to these corporations that make $50,000.

You those are the size of the more 50, $60,000.

You now is only worth 40 to 50,000.

So, for example, you have a janitor.

Well, that's like someone is working at me live with the director's position.

You make 100 to $1000 a year that only works 60,000.

We take out taxes.

We take out increase peas and other things that coming from the federal government.

And so I'm on the side of the person who is paying more into the city of Chicago the CEOs are.

And so we are now missing.

The fact is that people cannot afford to continue to be broken by corporations as well as the disinvestment from the federal government.

Let's not forget that this government has turned its back on investing in Chicago.

So our budget, which is predicated on federal grants are budget, which is predicated strong workers is was under attack defending those who meet 95.

But do what do not want to get broken by corporation, OK?

So the mayor has said that he is not backing down from the head tax.

As we know here he is.

>> We stand by our budget proposal.

But let me be clear.

There are not any magic 3rd options between cut stuck or services and layoffs and revenue.

Anyone who wants to prevent pretend otherwise is being disingenuous.

We stand behind the progressive record revenue that we have put forward because this moment calls for those with means to put more skin in the game.

>> They were all them right behind the Marriott.

They're so out of the Conway.

What do you make of the mayor's argument that a denial of the head tax would mean cuts to court services are layoffs because wasn't this head tax intended to cover youth services and anti violence intervention?

Well, first of all, we're talking about 100 million dollars out of 16.7 billion dollar budget.

>> But like I said, we really need to be looking at what we can do efficiently in terms of making sure that we that we have.

We have.

But I mean, I saw I mean, candidate Brandon Johnson was against property taxes that last year he said he wouldn't pass a budget without a property tax increase.

Now he's going to say it's going veto a a budget that has a property tax increase in there.

I do want to property tax increase, but he's been all over the map in terms of what what he wants.

But the bigger issue is if we're going to get out of our fiscal mask and this city, we need to grow the size of the city and that is going to take housing.

And that is going to take jobs.

And by putting a jobs tax out there, we are literally disincentivize in the behavior that we need to create in the city.

>> Altman was spotted.

You joined 18 other alders in pushing to delay the finance committee votes on the move that ultimately failed because then there was the vote where the finance committee rejected it.

Why did you think of the vote should be held later, especially considering what we know about how late budget negotiations went last year.

Did you think the votes didn't exist it to pass Did you see >> voted for the motion to delay because week we know from talking to colleagues that they need more time.

Questions that need to be answered, particularly in light of report that we got from Cook County Treasurer Papas yesterday about the impacts of shifting property tax bills in the city of Chicago.

There's there's questions about how do we fund government in a way that is progressive.

That is all in Hull call for asks those who can pay more and pay their fair share to pay their fair share, but also do it in ways that continues to grow our economy rather than to tour on growth.

That's a meal that we can thread.

And I know that we can find it, but deserves more time and more deliberation.

If we that the votes weren't there for them.

If a new package.

We should have taken the time 2.

Get to a place that everyone can agree on.

>> So way, you mentioned the city commission that report from the private accounting firm, Ernst and young, outlining between 530 billion 1 0.4 billion dollars in potential savings in new revenue.

Mayor Johnson's budget only includes about 80 million dollars worth of cuts recommended by that report on whole.

First to you when a first Boston on the committee and number one.

>> Name the last time you see the mayor to say come in and see the books.

So I commend the mayor forward literally all getting our books.

Number we look at those recommendations.

Those recommendations phase in over time, especially in the year 2026.

So the committee is doing its job in finding efficiencies for the year 2026.

But I will say the issue that we face and in 2025 again, we had 12 months to come in early present ideas.

I have yet to find an idea that does not break the backs of Chicago.

And if you act Chicago right now, do you want to pay more your property taxes?

They say no.

If you actually want to pay more garbage because they say no, if you actually want to Nic I and they will say no other fees, essentially at the end of the day, why are we defending corporations that are worth almost a billion dollars with CEOs live in Buffalo, Miss a kind back like situations.

And while we defend and then when they're not missing a meal, they're not missing any bonuses of paychecks.

And we literally suggesting to the city of Chicago to 2.3 million Chicagoans and which over 80% beneath poverty and Mount Morgan, particularly the average incomes.

Only $42,000 a year.

>> 42,000 is only $26,000 in spending power.

couple fact rent is going up and other things.

So at the end of the day, the question is now, are you going to defend the elite?

Are you going to stand on the side of the day today?

Chicago?

Okay.

Conway you have pushed for adopting more of the cuts in the savings that were that were mentioned are outlined in that Ernst and young to come to you just a second because >> the mayor has said that calls for cuts have been too vague areas.

>> We hear a lot of calls for cuts.

And it.

People like to refer to them as efficiencies.

But folks get real quite one week, asked them to provide some of the specifics.

And the reality is our city services are essential, whether it's a snowstorm, roads or thunderstorm or flooding.

We will continue to see extreme weather due to climate change.

So we need to ensure that we have the staff that we need to meet this reality.

>> Conway, what cuts would you make and Yeah, I mean, first of to respond with Alderman Hall says I agree.

We don't want to ask people in 6 war, the 34th war, the first war for more money and that's why we have to be official with taxpayer dollars.

And the report adds some clear place to do that.

For example, Fleet optimization the average car.

The owned by the city is driven 7,000 Miles a year, 7,000 miles a year.

And Ernst and Young said we get 29.6 million inefficient senior won their 3 million of that in the budget procurement.

Only 51% of the stuff that we buy goes through the procurement.

department.

They identified 55 211 million dollars of savings.

We can get through that.

Only 10 million dollars in this budget.

And regard to real estate, they talked about the number of desks that we're using in the in the buildings that wheelies.

And they said essentially of the 4900 S that we had only 37 overall, the only 3700 of them are being used.

Those are some look like pretty low hanging fruit.

That is not important in this budget.

And after hearing this detail from Ernst and young, I think it's important that we go back to the departments and say, hey, we need to really push you and make sure that you're being fish and on that nobody is disagreeing with that man affect.

Someone has already started working with Commissioner Tomlin right now.

>> Work it was Charles Roberts as chief procurement officer.

Those things are already in place.

Let's talk about now right now as it takes as we look into the night out was of this day, we still have not solved how we're going to balance the budget.

Nobody's against what has been mentioned in our studio.

But it doesn't solve the two-day problem.

Corporations will not get off without paying share.

But first in report effect, Jen, morning 6.

If kids, why not introduce those as get that are being done?

Some of those efficiency cuts that have been mentioned report are in motion.

They don't offer the gap that we have now.

But in 20 20th in the full calendar year, you will see the brecon the lives of all those efficiencies, which will save us money.

But in order to change the course of direction from a report, I audit that started in April of this year, you have to first do the audit.

Second, you have to get the contracts.

Are you need to make the I already comment briefly.

I want they're so young reports public.

Anyone can read it.

It's they the city says they put 3 million dollars in free documentation.

There.

>> For some young said year one, 29.6 million.

I could go on and on about the other things.

They're clearly not in the budget >> So thing is we sometimes conflate cuts with the positions he's officials providing the same high level of service to Chicagoans that they deserve and doing it with the same amount or less revenue.

There's so much more in the Ernst and young report that we can dig into even going into 2026, I mean, >> if you look at that report, the number of across various departments who have between one and 3 direct reports.

It is absurd something that you would never see it in the private sector.

>> Leaning into leaning into killing is a shunt, a crossbow.

>> The Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Fire Department that there are.

There a lot of ways that we can inflation adjust different fees for service within the city.

There is no single way there were going to get to a balanced budget.

We should all be clear on that.

It's official sees it has a very new side to it.

It's more transparency in terms of how we use our revenue.

The fact that I'm in Chicago should know this still 126 or so million dollars protected from automated speed enforcement speed cameras.

We've I laid our own code.

We say that that's supposed to be kept in a separate account for for specific purpose is laid out by state law.

We don't do that.

We just poured into the corporate fund.

>> All right.

So I what that is another transparency we need to look at.

I think everyone had hoped that you all would have this figured out before Thanksgiving, but no such luck.

We look forward to having all be back in December.

What's this is