Daley’s 2009 Budget Plan Up for Vote

By Hunter Clauss in News on Nov 19, 2008 5:15PM

The Chicago City Council is preparing to vote on Mayor Daley’s 2009 budget plan today and you can watch a live stream of the council meeting through the city clerk’s website. The Daley administration hopes to close a $469 million budget shortfall by cutting no more than 770 city jobs, enacting more furlough days, and also raising a slew of taxes, which includes increasing the daily garage parking tax to $3 from $2.25 and increasing the amusement tax by one percent. The Daley administration also wants to impose an annual fee on private dumpsters for businesses and larger condos. That measure is estimated to bring in $8 million next year. The Denver boot will also be used on cars with two unpaid tickets that are a year or more old. Earlier this week, a deal was reached between the city's labor unions and Mayor Daley that will reduce the number of city worker layoffs.

Several aldermen also want to double the yearly application and daily permit fees for Maxwell Street Market vendors, which could bring in $700,000. That plan is aimed more at saving the city’s “jumping jack” program, which provides inflatable playgrounds to block parties throughout the city. Although, the Finance Committee voted to readjust the fees on Maxwell Street Market vendors just minutes before the full council meeting. The annual application is now tripled to $75 and the daily permit fees would increase but not double as originally proposed.

Daley is also saying that raiding the city’s Skyway fund is no longer off the table. The city received $500 million from privatizing the Chicago Skyway. Some aldermen wanted the mayor to use that money to help balance the budget. Absent from Daley’s plan is increasing property taxes, which no doubt would have resulted in a greater wraith than the absence of the “jumping jack” program.