Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said it was long overdue to raise property taxes to address budget shortfalls which had not been addressed.
Asked about the increases, which are just arriving in the mail, he said:
“For too long, a number of elected leaders — not just political — a number of people across the spectrum politically, denied, deferred and delayed the day of judgment. . . . I understand it’s not popular. But I have to weigh the politically unpopular against the fiscal irresponsibility of leaving four pensions unfunded. And I was upfront to people. I told ’em in both elections: `We have to fix this and do it in a responsible way.’ ”
The article in the Chicago Sun-Times notes that property owners are already calling with complaints about the tax increases.
