Mayor Brandon Johnson proposed his first budget Wednesday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Mayor Brandon Johnson is proposing a $16.6 billion spending plan for 2024 with plans to forgo a property tax increase, create a standalone Department of Environment and provide funding to begin reopening city mental health clinics. 

Johnson’s budget proposal includes $150 million to support migrants and a proposal to disband the Department of Assets, Information and Services in favor of two separate departments — the Department of Technology and Innovation and the Department of Fleet and Facility Management. 

The mayor proposed his first-ever budget Wednesday, telling City Council members and Chicagoans his spending plan will “ensure that every resident of this City can thrive in peace and prosperity, connected to all the amenities and resources they need.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson delivers his first budget address on Oct 11, 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Mayor Brandon Johnson used his 2024 budget address Wednesday to announce the creation of several new city departments, some of which have existed in the past but had been dissolved or consolidated. 

One of the most notable pieces of Johnson's budget is the reestablishment of the Department of Environment, a long-awaited announcement for advocates who have pointed to a lack of enforcement actions since the city's environment department was eliminated a decade ago by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The department’s resurrection was one of Johnson’s campaign promises. 

A rendering of the building proposed for 200-208, 222 N. Halsted St. in the 27th Ward. [City of Chicago presentation]

A proposal to build a 36-story building with more than 400 residential units near the intersection of Lake and Halsted streets on the Near West Side will go before the City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on Thursday.

Ald. Anthony Beale (9) speaks during a City Council meeting Wednesday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Committees and Rules and the full City Council met immediately after Mayor Brandon Johnson gave his budget speech Wednesday to re-refer dozens of measures mostly banished to the committee last week by Ald. Anthony Beale (9).   

But a disgruntled Beale teamed up with Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) to defer and publish the ordinances and resolutions, forcing another delay on sending the proposals to their proper committees.

Mayor Brandon Johnson during a City Council meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Mayor Brandon Johnson will unveil his first budget proposal as mayor Wednesday morning as the city continues to grapple with how it will pay for shelter and services for migrants while also funding services and programs to meet the needs of all Chicagoans.  

The Cook County flag flies over the county government building. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The Cook County Commission on Social Innovation will hold a meeting Thursday, during which the commission will hear from a set of guest speakers from the Center for Justice Innovation. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. Thursday in the conference room on the fourth floor of the county building in downtown Chicago. 

The rules committee and the City Council will meet after Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget address Wednesday. And the housing committee approved several sales of city-owned land Tuesday.

Tipped workers will be paid the same minimum wage as their counterparts who don’t earn tips by 2028 under an ordinance (SO2023-0002995) approved in a 36-10 vote by the City Council Friday.

Proponents of the wage increase argued it will provide more financial stability for workers and families, particularly Black and brown women, and bridge a pay equity gap. Opponents argued the measure will force restaurants to shutter or move to the suburbs due to cost increases of paying workers more.   

The City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday to consider several proposed land sales and other ordinances.

Cook County’s health and hospitals system will hold two regular meetings this week, and the county forest preserve district is launching an informational endeavor to warn visitors about using undesignated trails that harm habitats.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle gives her 2024 budget address on Oct. 5, 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle unveiled a $9.14 billion proposed 2024 budget Thursday that includes no new taxes or fees but eliminates hundreds of vacant positions.

The county board president presented her proposed spending plan, which is a 3.9 percent increase over the previous year’s, during an address before a special meeting of the County Board of Commissioners. The proposed budget consists of a $7.63 billion operating budget and a $1.51 billion capital budget for debt service, capital improvements and pension obligations. 

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) speaks during Wednesday’s City Council meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]
 

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) and Ald. Anthony Beale (9) on Wednesday renewed their push to give the City Council its own legal counsel separate from the city’s top attorney. 

Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22) (right, foreground) and Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) both stand during Wednesday’s City Council meeting [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

As was expected, the City Council vote on the proposal to phase out Chicago’s subminimum wage for tipped workers was delayed from Wednesday to Friday due to an error by the City Clerk’s office. But the work done by alderpeople to reschedule the vote for Friday and the attempts to block the rescheduled vote harkened back to the parliamentary maneuvering often seen under Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration. 

Cook County officials answer budget questions during a media briefing Wednesday. [Livestream]

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is expected to unveil a $9.14 billion spending proposal for 2024 during her annual budget address Thursday before the Cook County Board of Commissioners. 

During a presentation to reporters Wednesday, county budget officials revealed the budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year — consisting of a proposed $7.63 billion operating budget and a $1.51 billion proposed capital budget for debt service and pension obligations.

County officials also laid out a plan to temporarily sustain and assess long-term funding for programs that are currently being funded by one-time allocations of federal pandemic relief money. 

Mayor Brandon Johnson announced new conditions for NASCAR’s race series next summer. Johnson also told reporters on Wednesday he plans to travel to the country’s southern border to see firsthand what the migrant crisis looks like, and the county has released a digital accessibility plan.