(The Center Square) – Along with new taxes and tax increases, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s $17.6 billion budget proposal for 2027 includes five-figure raises for dozens of city department heads and assistants.
Alderman Raymond Lopez called out the pay increases during a Committee on Budget and Government Operations meeting on Tuesday.
“If we are adding a billion dollars over last year’s budget, we could have said maybe we don’t need to do a 9% pay increase in the mayor’s office or 7% in human resources or so on and so forth. We could have said let’s hold off, especially if you just got a raise last year,” Lopez said.
Johnson’s 2027 spending plan is about $900 million higher than the 2026 budget. His latest proposal includes higher Personal Property Lease Transaction and sports betting taxes, plus new taxes on packages and employers with more than 125 workers.
Lopez asked Acting Budget Director Jonathan Ernst why there was no conversation about saving money by keeping raises in line with the Consumer Price Index.
“We also would like to retain talent. If you don’t keep competitive salaries, talent leaves,” Ernst said.
The mayor’s budget recommendations include raises of more than $30,000 for several positions in the city’s Department of Environment.
Chicago Flips Red founder Zoe Leigh said a first deputy commissioner with the Department of Aviation is set to receive a raise of nearly $68,000.
“That’s one person’s salary for another job we could be giving to maybe a person who is homeless out here,” Leigh told The Center Square.
Leigh pointed to a $12,000 raise for a deputy library commissioner and five-figure raises for Department of Planning and Department of Environment personnel.
“This is a Play-Doh government in the city of Chicago. The feds need to come in. We need a forensic audit, a true forensic audit,” Leigh said.
