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Chicago Tribune: Emanuel's 2018 budget approved; cost of phone fees and ride-share trips to rise
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s 2018 budget was approved overwhelmingly by the Chicago City Council on Tuesday, setting the stage for tax and fee hikes next year on telephone service, ride-share trips and concert tickets at bigger venues in the city.
Aldermen approved the mayor’s spending plan by a 47-3 vote. For Emanuel, the final tally continues a string of convincing budget victories in the largely acquiescent council, reflecting the stranglehold the mayor’s office has on the process.
WBEZ: How Chicago’s New Budget Could Affect You In 2018 — And Beyond
Chicago’s City Council on Tuesday approved an $8.6 billion spending plan for 2018, which relies on a new way of borrowing money, and higher taxes and fees on everything from phone lines to concert tickets to Lyft and Uber rides.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plans to close a projected $114 million annual budget gap have faced little resistance from the City Council this budget year. But some aldermen have raised concerns about his plan to bail out the financially struggling Chicago Public Schools, and to send city money to the Chicago Transit Authority
NBC 5 Chicago: Fairley, Emanuel Butt Heads Over City's 2018 Funding of COPA
No sooner did the Chicago City Council approve the 2018 budget, all $8.6 billion of it, did Sharon Fairley, the former head of COPA, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability Office send out a press release Tuesday criticizing the “gross underfunding” of the police oversight committee.
Fairley is now a Democratic candidate for Illinois Attorney General.
Chicago Tribune: Cook County Board approves budget with 321 layoffs
Six weeks after repealing the controversial soda tax, the Cook County Board on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a scaled-back $5.2 billion budget for next year that will lay off 321 employees.
Dozens of employees lined up in the board room before the vote, testifying for about 90 minutes about how the job losses would affect their lives. Two speakers broke down in tears, and one begged commissioners for a reprieve.
Northwest Herald: Crystal Lake-based School District 155 approves tax levy increase
Not a single person who spoke Tuesday night at a meeting of the Community High School District 155 Board was in favor of a tax levy increase.
Everyone who stepped to the podium was against it.
Daily Herald: West Dundee considering 8.6 percent tax levy hike
West Dundee officials are considering an 8.6 percent property tax levy hike in hopes of creating additional recurring revenue for capital projects.
The village board is expected to decide next month whether to collect about $4.6 million in property taxes for 2017. Of the proposed $361,848 increase over last year’s levy, $300,000 would be earmarked for road resurfacing, infrastructure work, equipment repairs and other capital expenses, Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said. The rest would be used to fund greater fire and police pension obligations.
Daily Herald: DuPage County board, Zaruba clash over proposed cuts to sheriff's office
Less than a week before voting on a budget, DuPage County Board members are butting heads with Sheriff John Zaruba over a plan to reduce the number of sworn deputies in his department.
All countywide offices and departments were asked to cut costs to balance DuPage’s budget for the next fiscal year, which starts Dec. 1. The cuts are needed because the county is expected to lose roughly $3.5 million in revenue from the state.
Decatur Herald & Review: Decatur City Council prepares for city deficit of $3.2 million, potential cuts to services
Council members reluctantly endorsed a city budget proposal for next year that would run a $3.2 million deficit with the hopes that Illinois lawmakers would reverse recent cuts to local government funding in a new state budget agreement next year.
If not, come June or July, council members said, they will start to look at difficult cuts to city services.