Aldermen Relent On Daley's Relief Plan

After all that huffing and puffing about Mayor Daley's proposed property tax relief plan, the City Council's Finance Committee backed down on their challenge and passed Daley's plan with a few minor changes. The committee had initially balked at the plan, prompting Daley to lash out at the challenge.

“We’re trying to provide relief for those most affected” by the phasing out of a state-authorized property tax break for Cook County homeowners whose property values soared in recent years, said Gene Saffold, the city’s chief financial officer.

“The program is graduated, so the more you make, the less your return is,” Saffold added. “This is intended to provide broad-based tax relief for those most effected.”

Even today, as the committee passed the plan, some aldermen still expressed issue with the plan. Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) stressed it should focus on lower-income property owners, saying, “Providing relief to people who aren’t really needy doesn’t make good sense to me." A vote on the plan has been put off until next Wednesday which is also when the full City Council will debate Mayor Daley's 2010 city budget.