Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council have begun making their pitches for what should—and shouldn’t—be included in the city’s 2026 budget. With a projected $1.1 billion deficit , will alderpeople agree to a property tax increase? Will Johnson push through a new tax on corporations? The drama is already grabbing headlines, and it’ll only heat up from here.

A similar process is playing out among the Cook County Board of Commissioners . From July 28 to 30, the board’s Finance Committee held annual midyear budget hearings. Over three days, the heads of county agencies—from the public defender to the medical examiner to the assessor—presented an update on their current year’s budget. These meetings are also a chance for officials to lobby for proposals they think should be inclu

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