Ald. Nicole Lee (11) speaks at a special City Council meeting on Feb. 26, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

In a historic moment Thursday, a Chicago budget went into effect that was driven and passed by a coalition of alderpeople opposed to myriad aspects of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposal. The mayor neither vetoed nor signed the budget, allowing the extraordinary act of City Council independence to stand.

Just under two-thirds of the council supported the final budget for 2026, and it remains to be seen if the revenue projections from the authors of the alternative budget plan will fully pan out. But ahead of the 2027 budget season, the coalition has vowed to stick together, and some prominent members said they hope to use that leverage in the next budget season.