Oct 27, 2026 · 35 min · 15 segments
Crain's restaurants reporter Ally Marotti joins host Jeanne Sparrow to discuss details of the s…
Jeanne SparrowHostAlly MarottiGuest
City Hall was witness to an unusually candid budget hearing Monday as Mayor Brandon Johnson's finance team faced a barrage of tough questions from skeptical aldermen and at times directly undercut the mayor's own claims.
It was the first of nine city council hearings scheduled to dissect the mayor's proposed $17.6 billion budget for 2027.
But opposition is already mounting, with Alderman threatening to blow a nearly $189 million hole in the plan by rejecting key revenue proposals, including a corporate head tax.
Instead, council members focused their fire on Johnson's proposal to raise the city's personal property lease transaction tax or PPLT, from 15% to 20% to bring in $234 million.
The tax, which hits software subscriptions, cloud computing, and equipment rentals, was just raised last year when officials promised to hold it steady until 2028.
11th Ward Alderman Nicole Lee called the rapid hike insane, warning that breaking that promise damages the city's credibility and stability.
As Crane's Justin Lawrence reports, tensions flared further over how the administration is framing its fiscal health.
Mayor Johnson touted his plan last week as a fair share budget, claiming 76% of his gap-closing measures were permanent structural fixes.
However, newly appointed Chief Financial Officer Ashley Gabrish told Alderman she isn't using the mayor's math.
Gabrish conceded that Wall Street rating agencies would likely peg the structural fixes closer to 56%, and she stopped short of calling the overall budget balanced, saying she needs to see future projections first.
The administration also drew pushback for its plan to borrow $480 million to pay for legal settlements and judgments, including $260 million to resolve lawsuits tied to disgraced former police officer Reynaldo Guevara.
47th Ward Alderman Matt Martin criticized the borrowing strategy, arguing the city lost a key opportunity to handle its legacy misconduct costs responsibly.
With significant pushback on tax hikes, borrowing, and basic budget math, Mayor Johnson faces an uphill battle to keep his spending plan intact before the end-of-the-year deadline.
City Hall was witness to an unusually candid budget hearing Monday as Mayor Brandon Johnson's finance team faced a barrage of tough questions from skeptical aldermen and at times directly undercut the mayor's own claims.
It was the first of nine city council hearings scheduled to dissect the mayor's proposed $17.6 billion budget for 2027.
But opposition is already mounting, with Alderman threatening to blow a nearly $189 million hole in the plan by rejecting key revenue proposals, including a corporate head tax.
Instead, council members focused their fire on Johnson's proposal to raise the city's personal property lease transaction tax or PPLT, from 15% to 20% to bring in $234 million.
The tax, which hits software subscriptions, cloud computing, and equipment rentals, was just raised last year when officials promised to hold it steady until 2028.
11th Ward Alderman Nicole Lee called the rapid hike insane, warning that breaking that promise damages the city's credibility and stability.
As Crane's Justin Lawrence reports, tensions flared further over how the administration is framing its fiscal health.
Mayor Johnson touted his plan last week as a fair share budget, claiming 76% of his gap-closing measures were permanent structural fixes.
However, newly appointed Chief Financial Officer Ashley Gabrish told Alderman she isn't using the mayor's math.
Gabrish conceded that Wall Street rating agencies would likely peg the structural fixes closer to 56%, and she stopped short of calling the overall budget balanced, saying she needs to see future projections first.
The administration also drew pushback for its plan to borrow $480 million to pay for legal settlements and judgments, including $260 million to resolve lawsuits tied to disgraced former police officer Reynaldo Guevara.
47th Ward Alderman Matt Martin criticized the borrowing strategy, arguing the city lost a key opportunity to handle its legacy misconduct costs responsibly.
With significant pushback on tax hikes, borrowing, and basic budget math, Mayor Johnson faces an uphill battle to keep his spending plan intact before the end-of-the-year deadline.
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