Chicago might have just avoided a property tax hike, but city leaders couldn’t figure out how to pass the 2025 budget without other tax and fee increases. Here’s what the city should do to avoid repeating the same budgeting mistakes next year.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson failed to rally the votes for a record $17.3 billion budget imposing $68.5 million in property tax hikes. City leaders have another chance to fix the budget. Here’s how they can do it.

Montgomery County notified some residents they will not be facing 1,400% property tax hikes as originally planned. The sticker shock stemmed from a 2007 law.

Chicago’s 2025 budget has a nearly $1 billion hole. Mayor Brandon Johnson has only proposed tax hikes. But when personnel eats over two-thirds of the budget, the city must be smart about freezes and cuts without making public safety even worse.

The “millionaire tax” was being OK’d by Illinois voters, with 60.3% voting “yes” on the advisory question about raising taxes on residents earning over $1 million a year to fund property tax relief. The problem is, millionaires would not be the only tax targets.