Thread by @LightfootForChi

Live from the budget speech:

Residents don’t want to see their properties taxes increased…We didn’t solve our budget gap with a large property tax increase in 2020 – and that’s good news.

2/ I am proud to say that over 60% of our gap was closed with structural solutions. Solutions that make sure our budget stays in order for years to come.

3/ The days of the TIF slush fund are over.

4/ Our budget gap was closed through a combination of savings and efficiencies totaling $538 million.

5/ Along with a number of carefully chosen revenue
sources totaling $352 million.

6/ I am proud to report that with this budget, for the first time in our city’s history, we will have climbed the ramp to pay for our Police and Fire pensions at the level outside experts say we should be paying for them to ensure their long-term financial stability.

7/ And if we are able to work with Springfield to approve these two measures, Chicago will have all four of our pension funds reach that level and be on the path to structural balance by 2022.

8/ On rideshare: If they cared as much about equity as they say, they would cut their drivers in on a bigger share of profits, improve their working conditions, and not pass their costs on to them.

9/ Our rideshare proposal will bring in an additional $40 million to our budget, while also lowering vehicle emissions and encouraging the use of more efficient modes of transportation, such as public transit.

8/ On legal cannabis: I want to use this new industry to uplift the economic life of neighborhoods and residents, particularly those in our black and brown communities that have borne the brunt of the War on Drugs.

10/ There is no greater calling for me as mayor – and for us as a city – than ensuring the safety of every home and every block in Chicago.

11/ I will not be happy until Chicago is the safest big
city in America.

12/ And though we are not there yet, I am proud to report that we are moving in the right direction. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, murders fell by more than 20 percent. Meanwhile, shootings and murders are at their lowest levels in four years.

13/ In addition to violence prevention, this budget also prioritizes homelessness and affordable housing with new dollars to address the needs of Chicago’s most vulnerable residents.

14/ Chicago will be making long-needed and long-overdue investments in our mental health infrastructure.
We will be fixing our system by charting a new path and a new way forward towards treating, identifying, and supporting our fellow Chicagoans struggling with mental health.

15/ Marshalling investment from across our government, business and philanthropic sectors, and community groups into revitalizing the commercial cores of underinvested neighborhoods on our South and West Sides.

16/ In total, through INVEST South West the City alone will channel more than $750 million over the next three years

17/ I heard about the regulatory mess that businesses of all sizes face in merely getting signage. I want the business community to know we heard you and are fixing this problem today.

18/ To ensure that we continue to be a real welcoming city, we will continue to invest in our Legal Protection Fund.
I stand with our immigrant and refugee communities because it is the only moral choice.

19/ Our 2020 Budget will also institute a path to a $15 minimum wage in Chicago that we will arrive at by 2021 because our working families can’t wait until 2025 to earn enough to live on.

20/ We will be strengthening our fight against climate change this coming year by establishing an Office of the Environment. Rooted in the values of environmental justice, this new office will use resources to ensure our residents enjoy rights to clean air and clean water.

21/ This budget includes the new Utility Billing Relief program, which is an unprecedented, equity-focused effort that will reduce the water utility rates for homeowners with incomes 150 percent below the federal poverty level.

22/ I am humbled every day that you have entrusted me with the stewardship of this great city we all call home.
And I can’t wait to continue our journey of transformation together in the weeks and months ahead.
Thank you.
God bless you.
And God bless the City of Chicago.