Mayor Brandon Johnson delivered his fiscal year 2027 budget proposal to the Chicago City Council, closing an $882.4 million gap through new corporate taxes while protecting city services. The plan introduces an Equitable Employer Tax and raises levies on personal property leases, sports wagering and social media.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal directs more than $60 million in combined funding to Chicago Public Libraries and homelessness prevention, including $30.9 million for the library system and $30 million aimed at keeping 3,000 Chicagoans housed. The spending is backed by new corporate tax measures.
More than $9 million in campaign spending is flowing into Chicago’s school board races ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, according to a report by the Illinois Answers Project and Chalkbeat Chicago. The election marks the first time in decades that Chicago voters will directly choose members of the school board.
Pace Suburban Bus released a sweeping draft plan called ReVision that proposes a 50 percent increase in bus service across six counties, with more frequent routes, extended evening hours and seven-day-a-week operations. The plan is made possible by new transit funding under the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act.
Cook County announced two independent real estate initiatives to repurpose county-owned land, including a Request for Information for an innovation development near Stroger Hospital and a Request for Proposals to build 100 percent affordable housing in Logan Square. Together, the projects aim to address housing affordability and economic competitiveness.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago broke ground on a nearly $400 million wastewater treatment project at its Terrence J. O’Brien plant in Skokie, one of the largest infrastructure investments in the agency’s 137-year history. The four-year Battery E project will reduce phosphorus discharges into the North Shore Channel and help the district meet stricter EPA limits.
The Chicago Department of Aviation announced the immediate closure of Runway 22L at Midway International Airport after a damaged Engineered Materials Arresting System required repairs, with work targeted for completion in mid-November. The closure has the potential to cause flight delays and cancellations during the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday travel season.