In a move to shake up the traditional budget-setting process, Mayor Brandon Johnson's office has rolled out a new plan for Chicagoans to have their say in the city's financial future. The extensive community engagement strategy for the fiscal year 2025 budget promises a three-stage approach designed to rope in citizen views, revealed in a detailed plan by the Chicago government.
Announcing the plan, Mayor Johnson emphasized the importance of incorporating residents' perspectives. "Our administration is committed to ensuring that the voices of Chicagoans are heard and valued in the budgeting process," Johnson said in a statement obtained by the official Chicago government website. The strategy includes phases aiming to educate and collect community input on a variety of topics ranging from affordable housing to mental health.
The first of the three phases, which kicked off in April and will run through May, consists of virtual gatherings with already established City Engagement Councils and community groups. According to the Chicago government website, these sessions are aimed at educating participants on how the budget is formed as well as soliciting priorities for public programs and services. This initiative marks yet another strand in Johnson's web of community-focused governance threads, the site notes.
Annette Guzman, Budget Director, underlined the weight placed on engagement. "We appreciate the time and attention given by all Chicagoans who engage with us and help us ensure we are building a budget that is responsive to the needs of Chicagoans," Guzman told the official Chicago government website. The subsequent phases of the strategy will further involve stakeholder co-design of engagement methods and round-table discussions intended to probe deeper into budget allocation decisions.
Residents wanting a direct hand in the fiscal decisions of their city have been encouraged to familiarize themselves with budget basics through an informative video and to voice their thoughts via the online 2025 Budget Portal. The Mayor's office has also announced that later this summer and autumn, a public report detailing the outcomes of these engagement efforts will be published in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago's Great Cities Institute. Following this, an interactive event is expected to take place, where Mayor Johnson will give answers to inquiries and feedback regarding his proposed budget to the City Council and the public at large.
Mayor Johnson's outreach has included one-on-one meetings with the city's 50 alderpeople and setting foot in all 50 wards for various events. This array of community interactions supports the administration's clear intent to prioritize investment in the people of Chicago, as Deputy Mayor for Community Engagement Jackie Rosa articulated, noting that the mayor’s first year in office has been focused on such community investment through the dedication of time to "engaging communities and stakeholders that have often been left out of important conversations around how to move our city forward."
