Hal Dardick, Clout Street: Daley Daley considering increased taxes on parking, ballgame tickets:
Mayor Richard Daley is considering increased taxes on downtown parking and tickets to ballgames and live shows and more red light cameras to catch traffic scofflaws as he tries to balance an out-of-whack city budget.Oh, yes. Chicago government is a victim of "this crisis". It's not mismanagement or corruption or incessant tax increases that are decreasing revenue. Go read the rest, if you can stand it. ("As just as possible." Sheesh.)
All of it would raise about $65 million and combined with 1,080 layoffs and leaving 3,000 positions vacant, partly help the mayor close what he contends is a $469 million budget gap this year and next as city revenues continue to plummet.
The administration is hoping to fill the rest of the hole with $150 million from leasing parking meters, $60 million from restructuring debt, not borrowing as much money and taking $20 million a year from the lease of Midway Airport to a private operator, according to aldermen and documents released by City Hall.
"It's an uncomfortable and difficult time everywhere. As the mayor said earlier, he doesn't believe there is anyone in America who hasn't been touched by this crisis, and that includes city government. He has tried to be as just as possible," Daley spokeswoman Jacquelyn Heard said.
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