Chicago Freezes Hiring Amid Severe Budget Deficits

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has enacted a citywide hiring freeze and imposed stringent limitations on non-essential travel and overtime expenditures as the city faces severe budget deficits—$223 million for 2024 and nearly $1 billion for 2025. These measures are driven by rising personnel, pension, and contractual costs, along with a significant shortfall in revenue, including a $175 million pension payment for Chicago Public Schools non-teaching staff and a decline in the State Personal Property Replacement Tax. While some praise the hiring freeze as a step towards more efficient budgeting, others are concerned about its impact on emergency services like police and fire departments, which are already understaffed. Mayor Johnson has not ruled out the possibility of raising property taxes, despite his campaign promise to avoid such increases. The mayor is expected to present his budget proposal to the City Council next month.