REDUCING THE HIDDEN PARKING TAX BURDEN

December 5, 2002

Chicago Sun Times

Council OKs '03 budget with no realty tax hike

Spielman, Fran

Mayor Daley's $4.7 billion budget--painfully balanced with 200 layoffs, 1,000 job cuts and $10 million in fee increases--was unanimously approved by the City Council on Wednesday despite lingering fears of a post-election property tax hike.

"Let's hope that, in fact, the economy turns around. . . . If this economy doesn't turn around--if it becomes stagnant--we're going to have tough decisions in the future," said Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), whose son-in-law, Gov.-elect Rod Blagojevich, faces an even bigger budget headache.

At a time when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has raised property taxes by 18 percent, Daley said he's thrilled to be holding the line on property taxes. "They're laying off. They raised property taxes. They're closing fire, police stations, libraries. Other cities are. You have to manage government very well. That's what we've done here," he said.

With a 2003 budget that assumes "zero growth" in most city revenues, the mayor said he does not anticipate a midyear correction.

He thought he could get by without raising taxes a year ago, only to fall $115 million short and order 425 layoffs July 1 after union leaders refused concessions.

"I can't predict what's going to happen in eight months or nine months. So far, I don't see it. We are not going to raise taxes," he said.

The spending plan that will serve as a re-election platform for the mayor and his City Council partners is even leaner than last year's no-frills version.

One thousand vacant jobs will be eliminated and 200 city employees will be laid off after the first quarter of next year unless 200 management employees retire voluntarily before then.

Aldermen desperately trying to avoid layoffs tied a resolution to Wednesday's 48-0 budget vote that calls for City Council hearings before the firings begin.

Five hundred downtown parking meters will be restored, but motorists will pay double to use them--rising from $1.50 an hour to $3, or 25 cents for every five minutes. That prompted Ald. Helen Shiller (46th) to introduce an ordinance to repeal the ban on feeding parking meters after they expire.

Higher fines are in store for everything from disorderly conduct, swearing and "indecent exposure or dress" to overgrown weeds, littering and posting bills on public property--under the $10 million revenue package.

Copyright Chicago Sun Times Dec 5, 2002