Every member of the Chicago City Council is in line for a pay raise in the 2027 budget, and Mayor Brandon Johnson is not taking one. The Chicago Tribune reported that all 50 aldermen elected to take the raise, according to budget documents, and Block Club Chicago reported the same on Oct. 29. The city is also trying to close a budget gap that was forecast at $882 million in September.
What the budget shows
The salary rates for the 50 aldermen are listed on pages 80 and 81 of the Mayor's Budget Recommendations for 2027, under position codes 9A01 through 9A50. Across the 50 positions, the 2027 rates add up to $7,610,598, compared with $7,439,718 in 2026. That is $170,880 more a year, or about 2.3 percent.
The rates are not identical. Twenty-nine aldermen are listed at the top rate, $159,264, up $3,576 from $155,688. The lowest rate is $128,892, up from $126,000. Block Club reports that rate belongs to Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th). Rates differ because members have taken the raise in some years and not in others.
The mayor's line
The mayor's salary is listed at $221,052 in both the 2026 revised budget and the 2027 recommendation. Block Club reports that Johnson will forgo a raise for the third year in a row, after accepting one in 2024, the first for a Chicago mayor since 2006.
Why it happens automatically
The raise is tied to inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, and elected officials can opt in or out each year. Block Club's report does not give an opt-out deadline, and we did not find one for the 2027 cycle. The budget itself only lists each position's rate, not who chose what, so the finding that all 50 took the raise is the Tribune's reporting, backed by Block Club's.
At the top rate, an alderman's raise for 2027 is $3,576. Across all 50 positions it is $170,880 a year, in a budget that is trying to close a gap of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The rate for every ward
These are the rates from the budget, matched to the aldermen currently serving each ward. The ward match follows the order of the position list and agrees with Block Club's figure for the 36th Ward. Check your own alderman's line in the budget document linked below.
| Ward | Alderperson | 2026 | 2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel La Spata | $142,020 | $145,284 | +$3,264 |
| 2 | Brian Hopkins | $142,020 | $145,284 | +$3,264 |
| 3 | Pat Dowell | $154,716 | $158,268 | +$3,552 |
| 4 | Lamont Robinson | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 5 | Desmon Yancy | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 6 | William Hall | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 7 | Greg Mitchell | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 8 | Michelle Harris | $154,716 | $158,268 | +$3,552 |
| 9 | Anthony Beale | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 10 | Peter Chico | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 11 | Nicole Lee | $142,020 | $145,284 | +$3,264 |
| 12 | Julia Ramirez | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 13 | Marty Quinn | $126,252 | $129,156 | +$2,904 |
| 14 | Jeylú Gutiérrez | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 15 | Ray Lopez | $133,368 | $136,428 | +$3,060 |
| 16 | Stephanie Coleman | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 17 | David Moore | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 18 | Derrick Curtis | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 19 | Matt O'Shea | $130,836 | $133,836 | +$3,000 |
| 20 | Jeanette Taylor | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 21 | Ronnie Mosley | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 22 | Mike Rodriguez | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 23 | Silvana Tabares | $134,676 | $137,772 | +$3,096 |
| 24 | Monique Scott | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 25 | Byron Sigcho-Lopez | $142,776 | $146,052 | +$3,276 |
| 26 | Jessie Fuentes | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 27 | Red Burnett | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 28 | Jason Ervin | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 29 | Chris Taliaferro | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 30 | Ruth Cruz | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 31 | Felix Cardona Jr. | $133,368 | $136,428 | +$3,060 |
| 32 | Scott Waguespack | $144,264 | $147,576 | +$3,312 |
| 33 | Rossana RodrÃguez | $142,776 | $146,052 | +$3,276 |
| 34 | Bill Conway | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 35 | Anthony Quezada | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 36 | Gil Villegas | $126,000 | $128,892 | +$2,892 |
| 37 | Emma Mitts | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 38 | Nick Sposato | $140,046 | $143,262 | +$3,216 |
| 39 | Samantha Nugent | $142,020 | $145,284 | +$3,264 |
| 40 | Andre Vasquez | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 41 | Anthony Napolitano | $142,020 | $145,284 | +$3,264 |
| 42 | Brendan Reilly | $128,232 | $131,184 | +$2,952 |
| 43 | Timmy Knudsen | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 44 | Bennett Lawson | $149,520 | $152,952 | +$3,432 |
| 45 | Jim Gardiner | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 46 | Angela Clay | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 47 | Matt Martin | $133,344 | $136,404 | +$3,060 |
| 48 | Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
| 49 | Maria Hadden | $139,776 | $142,992 | +$3,216 |
| 50 | Debra Silverstein | $155,688 | $159,264 | +$3,576 |
The budget gap behind it
The city's September forecast put the 2027 shortfall at $882 million. The mayor's plan to close it includes reinstating a corporate head tax and a 15-cent tax on delivered packages, along with other fee and tax increases, according to Block Club. Some aldermen have pushed back, and the Council has until the end of 2026 to pass a balanced budget. A later estimate from the city's budget office, as reported by Chicago City Wire, put the adjusted gap lower, at $652.5 million, after counting a $480 million bond for police misconduct settlements.
What we could not confirm
We have not read the Tribune's full article. We are relying on its headline and on Block Club's matching report for the claim that all 50 aldermen took the raise. We did not find the Office of Budget and Management's opt-out deadline for 2027, and we have not asked each alderman's office. The ward-by-ward table reflects the order of the budget's position list.
Our question
The top rate is $159,264 a year. Did your alderman earn it? Tell us your ward on YouTube, Instagram or Facebook, or write to contact@reofact.com.
Photos: City Council chamber by Daniel X. O'Neil, CC BY 2.0. Alderperson portraits shown in the video come from official ward websites and Wikimedia Commons, credited on screen. Budget page: City of Chicago.