Responsible Spending?

When the government "finds" more money, they never pay down existing obligations. Never. They usually start up a new program to justify raising more taxes to fund it. So this is an unusual development:

• The Chicago City Council voted overwhelmingly to retain control of a $75 million windfall Mayor Brandon Johnson planned to use in his proposed 2027 budget, adding to the challenges facing his $17.6 billion spending plan.

  The Council voted 44-6 to reaffirm that the money generated by last month's sale of the city's parking meters will be used to make a second supplemental payment this year toward Chicago's pension debt. Johnson had proposed putting the money toward next year's budget, despite negotiators' intent for the proceeds.

  "We would like to have collaboration as the mayor likes to say, but what we're seeing is Mayor Mastercard likes to charge everything. And right now we cannot afford that," 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas said.

  The debate centered on whether Chicago should make an additional debt payment when communities have other immediate needs.

"Mayor Mastercard."  That's a good one.

And preventing the current mayor from kicking the pension can down the road (as all previous mayors have done) is also a good one. 

Now if they could only find more money.... how about closing some of those 5% occupied schools and sell the land?