FIRE
BRANDON
JOHNSON

He asked for a $300 million property tax hike. The Council voted it down 50–0.

Johnson's 2025 budget proposed a $300 million property tax increase. On Nov. 14, 2024, the City Council rejected it unanimously, 50–0.

Sources: WBEZ · Chicago Sun-Times

His "head tax" on jobs got rejected. Now he's bringing it back.

For 2026, Johnson proposed a head tax of $33 per worker per month on employers with more than 500 workers. A Council coalition rejected it and passed its own $16.6 billion budget, 30–18. Johnson called that budget "morally bankrupt" but declined to veto it.

His 2027 budget, released Oct. 21, revives it: $25 per employee per month on businesses with at least 125 full-time-equivalent workers. That came a month after a 29-member Council coalition told him in a letter that a head tax was a nonstarter. The city says it would affect about 2.8% of businesses, with a credit for South and West Side locations.

2027 sources: Block Club Chicago · Chicago Sun-Times

Sources: Chicago Sun-Times · CBS Chicago · FOX 32

Another year, another hole: $882.4 million.

The city's own 2027 Budget Forecast projects an $882.4 million gap for 2027, and says 2026 will end with an $85.1 million deficit. Johnson says he'll close it with more corporate and tech taxes, including the cloud tax, the online sports betting tax and the social media tax.

In his Oct. 21 budget, he again pushed corporate, cloud and social media taxes and asking Springfield to let Chicago tax the wealthy. The 29-member Council coalition had set its limits: no property tax hike, no head tax and no counting on state money that hasn't been approved. To be fair, the city says the 2027 gap is $284 million smaller than last year's estimate.

Sources: City of Chicago 2027 Budget Forecast (PDF) · Chicago Sun-Times · Chicago Tribune · City of Chicago

Now he wants to tax your Amazon packages.

Johnson's $17.6 billion 2027 budget proposes a new 15-cent tax on packages delivered to Chicago residents, which retailers would collect and is expected to be passed on to consumers. It would also raise the lease tax on software and computer equipment (the "cloud tax") from 15% to 20%, and raise the sports betting tax to 20%. Alderpeople note current city law bars raising the lease tax before 2028 unless the Council changes it.

Sources: Block Club Chicago · Chicago Sun-Times

The Council tried to put a brake on his borrowing. He vetoed it.

An ordinance would have required 30 Council votes, instead of a simple majority, to take on new city debt. Johnson vetoed it, his fourth veto. On Oct. 14, the override vote failed 33–17, one vote short of the 34 needed. Johnson argued the rule would delay infrastructure projects on the South and West Sides and raise costs.

A week later, his budget asked the Council for $480 million in new borrowing to pay police misconduct settlements. To be fair, these are mostly decades-old cases from before his time, and Johnson says borrowing gives the city "a little bit of room" to deal with "a long legacy challenge."

Sources: Block Club Chicago · WTTW · Chicago Sun-Times · WTTW

Wall Street keeps downgrading Chicago.

S&P cut the city's general obligation rating from BBB+ to BBB in January 2025. In February 2026, Fitch and Kroll cut Chicago to BBB+ from A-, citing back-to-back budget shortfalls, one-time fixes, and fighting between the mayor and the Council. One UChicago expert estimated it could add $3–5 million a year in interest for every $1 billion borrowed.

Sources: WTTW · Chicago Tribune

His own school board quit rather than fire the CPS chief. So he appointed one that would.

Johnson and CEO Pedro Martinez clashed over a proposed $300 million short-term, high-interest loan. In October 2024, all seven of Johnson's school board appointees resigned. His replacement board fired Martinez without cause on Dec. 20, 2024, which triggered six more months of salary plus about $139,000 in severance.

Sources: NBC Chicago · Chicago Sun-Times · Chalkbeat

CPS faced a $732 million deficit.

Chicago Public Schools faced a $732.5 million deficit for fiscal 2027 and planned teacher position cuts and larger class sizes. The board then amended the budget to count on $150 million in state money that hadn't been approved.

Sources: WBEZ · CPS (official update)

$639.6 million on the migrant crisis.

The city spent $639.6 million housing 46,282 people during the migrant crisis, and 42% of it came from the city's own corporate fund. A planned winter camp at a contaminated Brighton Park site was scrapped and still cost taxpayers nearly $1 million. To be fair: the Inspector General found the spending was accurately reported and followed procurement rules.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times · WTTW

He pulled the plug on ShotSpotter over the Council's objections.

Johnson ended the city's ShotSpotter gunshot-detection contract. The Council voted 33–14 to give the police superintendent power to keep it. Johnson didn't veto the ordinance and called it unenforceable, and the system went dark in September 2024.

Nearly two years later, in October 2026, the city announced a "pilot" of new gunshot detection in six South and West Side wards, as alderpeople pressed it on delays. Officials haven't said when testing will start. ABC7 Chicago

Sources: WBEZ · Axios Chicago · NBC Chicago

His hiring speech drew a federal civil rights probe.

In May 2025, after Johnson spoke at a church about the Black officials in his administration, the U.S. Justice Department opened a civil Title VII investigation into the city's hiring practices. It is a civil inquiry, not a criminal case.

Sources: AP · NBC Chicago