Thread by @chicagosmayor

2021 BUDGET ADDRESS: Cities around the world are grappling with deep budget gaps created by the pandemic. Watch as Mayor Lightfoot addresses what this means for Chicago. pscp.tv/w/cl70DTFkclFl…

We'll be live-tweeting the Mayor's remarks. Follow #Chi2021Budget for live updates.

"Throughout our history we have been tested and we have repeatedly risen to meet and exceed every challenge. But what I also know, as a woman of color... as we rebuild, we must continue to bring others along with us...we cannot afford to leave anyone behind.” #Chi2021Budget

"During this horrible pandemic, every time that we have shown strength as a city is when we have worked together as partners, making shared sacrifices and facing the challenges head on, together." #Chi2021Budget

"The common theme here is that new beginnings, especially arising from tragedy, require us to face the dawn of a new day with the mindset of togetherness. Not how do “I” proceed, how do “I” profit, or how do “I” chart my own course. No. “We, not me” must be our mantra."

"Togetherness, not individualism is what will propel us toward a better tomorrow." #Chi2021Budget

"We have been transformed in the wake of the path that this terrible virus has cut through our city." #Chi2021Budget

"We have also been transformed by the many ways, big and small, that we as neighbors have risen to fill voids, address needs and more broadly rallied to meet this challenge head on." #Chi2021Budget

"A memory from this most memorable of years is when we saw the first glimpse of how this horrible virus was disproportionately bringing death and sickness to Black Chicagoans, we stood up the Racial Equity Rapid Response Team." #Chi2021Budget

"What began as an effort to rapidly and forcefully mitigate the unyielding effects of the virus on Black Chicago, expanded to address a similar case surge in LatinX Chicago." #Chi2021Budget

"And so in the early days of this pandemic, we issued an all call to City workers, those who could be spared; those whose daily work was important but could be paused in the face of a higher need." #Chi2021Budget

"From the early days of this pandemic, one of our greatest concerns was making sure people were not left hungry. Whether our school children, our seniors or anyone else facing this concern, we were laser-focused on making sure no Chicagoans went hungry during this pandemic."

"Centuries of racism, overt and systemic that destroyed the destinies of generations of Black and Brown people, my people, and left us facing generational poverty, joblessness, health care disparities and life expectancy gaps – all of which were exacerbated during this pandemic."

The pandemic devastated parts of our economy:
- 77.5% decline in the hotel tax
- 49.5% decline in the Amusement Tax
- Ground transportation tax down 47.8%
- Parking taxes down 48%
- Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax down 48.5%
- City share of the Sales Tax down 35%
#Chi2021Budget

"It has been a very tough year for parts of our economy and for our workers. Over 100,000 Chicagoans have filed for unemployment this year. Many jobs have disappeared and others are offering reduced hours and of course reduced pay." #Chi2021Budget

"Despite these hardships, and they are painful, the glimmers of a recovery have been flickering into view." #Chi2021Budget

"Many local and national surveys of Chicago’s economy demonstrate that our economic downturn has not been as dramatic as other big cities like New York and Los Angeles, and as a result, the start of our recovery has been more robust." #Chi2021Budget

"And just last month, in September 2020, the Chicago Business Barometer... saw business sentiment in Chicago climb to its highest level since December 2018... even in the midst of this pandemic, businesses are choosing to relocate to Chicago." #Chi2021Budget

"And folks, there have been no major corporate relocations from Chicago going elsewhere." #Chi2021Budget

"And we were thrilled that for an unprecedented 4th year in a row, @CNTraveler voted Chicago the Best Big City in the United States." #Chi2021Budget

"So, in 2020, we have taken some punches. Some very hard body blows. Over the course of this very tough year we have been on the ropes, the referee has started the 10 count, a couple times." #Chi2021Budget

"But like Barney Ross, the 1930s fighter who grew up in the Maxwell Street neighborhood, we have gotten back up, legs stronger, steely focus, and a resolve to fight on. And fight on we must, and fight on we will." #Chi2021Budget

"When it comes to housing, in 2020 we made $10 million in investments for housing and homelessness from our corporate fund... Dr. Arwady and I announced a new mental health framework in partnership with a host of community-based providers." #Chi2021Budget

"And in 2020, we also made important investments in our youth to the tune of $36.4 million. When other cities abandoned their summer jobs programs, we held firm and provided opportunities for 20,000 youth." #Chi2021Budget

"2020 also marked the continuation of the first ever, Mayor’s Youth Commission and our first ever Youth Services Corp, over 1,600 young people who provided critical services to residents as part of the COVID-19 response." #Chi2021Budget

"As I noted in August when we presented our budget forecast for 2021, we had made choices on additional revenue that aid our recovery, not hinder it. We have worked very hard to be smart, prudent and strategic and make choices that spur growth and build wealth." #Chi2021Budget

"We have avoided grabbing for any revenue source without regard to the consequences for economic recovery." #Chi2021Budget

"As a kid who grew up in a household where we always lived paycheck to paycheck, I have very vivid memories of when my father lost his job, and we had to resort to food giveaways to eat. I do not relish the prospect of unemployment for a single City worker." #Chi2021Budget

"To minimize layoffs, we have leaned heavily on eliminating vacancies. Across all funds, we have reduced over 1,800 vacancies. All departments, including police and fire, gave something." #Chi2021Budget

"This budget we are presenting today also contains layoffs of approximately 350 positions. While we can't do nothing, hoping for an election to forecast different, better days ahead, this budget assumes that no layoff notices will be issued until next year." #Chi2021Budget

"... and any layoffs won’t be effective until March 1. This schedule will allow us to see if there is any new federal stimulus on the horizon... this economic downturn has had a bipartisan impact and it requires a bipartisan solution." #Chi2021Budget

"We are also seeking five furlough days from all non-union workers. I will lead by example. I will take the 5 days myself." #Chi2021Budget

"I have been very clear that accountability and reform are essential and must be part of the path forward. As long as I am mayor, Constitutional policing will be an intrinsic part of policing in this city. Period. Full stop." #Chi2021Budget

"I am also fully aware of the complicit role that police departments dating back to our earliest times have played in brutally enforcing racist, Jim Crow laws, and depriving Black and Brown people from achieving our full rights as citizens." #Chi2021Budget

"And these are not just ancient times, but recent history, right here in Chicago. And so, in breaking down these barriers, we must also continue to closely scrutinize all policing practices and policies to eliminate any and all bias." #Chi2021Budget

"Yes, agreed that the police cannot be the first and only responders on every call for help from our residents." #Chi2021Budget

"That is precisely why in 2021 we will launch a pilot program, born of real research from subject matter experts that looks at a co-responder model and starts the process of building the infrastructure for alternative means of response." #Chi2021Budget

"I also reject the false narrative that it is either fund the police or fund communities. We must and can do both." #Chi2021Budget

"Also, literal defunding means cutting officer positions in a department where close to 90 percent of the budget is allocated to personnel. And given the seniority requirements of the collective bargaining agreements..."

"...if we cut current jobs, we would be compelled to cut the youngest, most diverse and well trained officers in the department. That is not in anyone’s interest." #Chi2021Budget

"We also will continue to hold the line on overtime, require even more scrutiny and changes to policies that have the potential to cause harm, like the work done this year to reform policies and training around pursuits, search warrants, and protections for whistleblowers."

"And despite our challenging economic times, we have not and will not abandon our commitment to equity and inclusion." #Chi2021Budget

"We must therefore continue to use government as a stimulus to build wealth, deal more of our residents into the prosperity of Chicago and build back our middle class that has been devastated decade after decade since the 1970s." #Chi2021Budget

"To further spur our economic recovery, we propose making a $7 million investment in our on-going economic recovery efforts in line with the recommendations of our economic recovery task force  -  the first comprehensive recovery plan published by an  American city."

"We will continue to make a $10 million investment in funding for housing and homelessness prevention. And meanwhile, there is also an additional $52 million in 2021 in CARES Funding that will go towards housing assistance and homelessness prevention and support." #Chi2021Budget

"We also propose funding for violence prevention and mental health, including strengthening coordination between street outreach workers and our mental health care system, dedicated funds to reduce domestic violence, and more resources..."

"...to provide victims of violence with the short- and long-term supports they need to begin the healing process after experiencing the trauma of gun violence." #Chi2021Budget

"We propose taking a modest amount from our rainy day fund—$30 million. To be clear, folks, we are not experiencing a rainy day. It is truly a rainy season, and we must continue to be prudent and cautious." #Chi2021Budget

"This virus is very unpredictable, and we can ill afford to materially deplete our reserves, particularly when it is far from clear that the folks in Washington, D.C. will ever be able to rise above their partisan divide." #Chi2021Budget

"We will again aggressively surplus TIF, which will add a net of $33.5 million to our corporate fund." #Chi2021Budget

"And yes, we seek a modest property tax increase of $93.9 million. Some had predicted that this budget would be predicated on hundreds of millions of dollars in new property taxes. Not so." #Chi2021Budget

"And for the average Chicago home valued at $250,000, you will pay just $56 additional dollars a year. That’s right, just $56 new dollars per year." #Chi2021Budget

"I do hope that when future generations look back on us as the elected leaders of this great city that they will see reflected in the annals of the history we are creating every day that we made the right choices in this time to set future generations up for future success."

"Our recovery is in reach. Working together we can get there, and come out of this crisis, better and stronger than ever before. God bless you all, and God bless the City of Chicago." #Chi2021Budget