Mayor Brandon Johnson Seeks To Block Bears Stadium Deal In Springfield

Key Points:

• Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and suburban mayors urged the Illinois General Assembly to increase funding for local governments, criticizing Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed budget for keeping Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) funding flat and reducing municipalities' share from income tax collections.
• Despite a proposed reduction in the LGDF percentage from 6.47% to 6.28%, Pritzker’s office claims total LGDF funding will remain flat at $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2027 due to rising income tax revenues, though mayors argue this results in $60 million less funding than otherwise.
• Mayors advocate for restoring the LGDF cut to 10%, a rate last seen in 2011, noting that since then local governments have received $13 billion less than under that rate, which has hovered between 6% and 7% since 2021 despite record total appropriations.
• Johnson also seeks more taxing authority for Chicago, including a digital advertising tax, a delivery tax, and a payroll tax on large businesses, but faces opposition from some city council members and Republican lawmakers who warn such measures could harm economic growth.
• On the Chicago Bears issue, Johnson called for a state plan to keep the team in a publicly owned Chicago stadium, opposing current legislative efforts that would facilitate the team’s move to Arlington Heights, emphasizing the need for continued attention to options benefiting taxpayers.