Two weeks before aldermen are slated to vote on Chicago’s 2008 budget, the outlook for Mayor Daley’s suggested tax hikes got muddier Wednesday as a flurry of new proposals were introduced and the mayor vowed to unveil a new revenue plan next week.
On the only day designated for the public to comment on his budget, Daley said his tax plan remains fluid as he announced several cost-saving efforts and pledged again to pull back on his proposed 15 percent property-tax increase. But he provided no dollar specifics.
“This is all floating,” Daley said. “This is an ongoing process and it still is today.”
When he released his $5.9 billion budget three weeks ago, Daley said he would be open to negotiation with aldermen. Since that time, members of City Council, including some of Daley’s staunchest allies, have bristled at the proposed $108 million property-tax increase.
The mayor said his administration will unveil a revised package of tax, fee and fine increases Monday. Until then, officials will be weighing the various new hikes introduced at Wednesday’s City Council meeting along with additional spending cuts announced by Daley.
Budget Director Bennett Johnson III said the administration would look at several revenue proposals that were introduced Wednesday by aldermen allied with Daley.
The ideas included boosting the liquor and beer tax even higher than Daley requested, raising fees on billboards, increasing the natural-gas use tax for businesses and hiking fines for motorists caught by red-light cameras. Another measure would cut the proposed new tax on bottled water from 10 cents to 5 cents.
