(The Center Square) – The city of Chicago projects a budget gap of $538 million for the coming fiscal year. That has not stopped many city officials from preparing for raises.
The budget for the city is due to the city council by Oct. 15. The plan will have to make up for a $538 million hole. According to NBC Chicago, $200 million of the gap comes from care for some of the 15,000 non-citizen arrivals and $56 million of that went to Favorite Healthcare Staffing. Some of that Kansas-based company’s employees were being paid up to $195 per hour.
On Jan. 1, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and 48 of the city’s 50 aldermen are set to receive a 2.24% increase. The two aldermen who refused were Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Ald. Rossana Rodriquez-Sanchez.
Patrick Andriesen of the Illinois Policy Institute said Johnson becomes the first mayor in nearly 20 years to accept a pay raise.
“He is expected to make a little over $221,000 next year, and he will also be the first mayor in Chicago to accept a pay raise since 2006,” Andriesen told The Center Square.
Andriesen said aldermen will also see their wages increase to an average of $146,000 annually as they are tied to inflation. Because of inflation, the people not seeing an increase in their net income will be taxpayers.
“Everyday Chicagoans are not seeing their wages adjust with inflation,” Andriesen said. “In fact they are seeing them remain stagnant as the price of goods is going up, and while the tax burden has increased to pay these higher salaries, they are not receiving more robust services for what they are paying.”
The city clerk and treasurer will also be receiving pay increases.
