wttw: Proposal to Hike Taxes on Sales of Million-Dollar Homes to Fight Homelessness Gets City Hall Spotlight

By Heather Cherone, July 27, 2023

Backers of Bring Chicago Home had hoped to put the question on the February ballot, when Chicago voters went to the polls to elect a new City Council and mayor. But that push failed to clear its first hurdle, when only 25 City Council members attended a crucial meeting in November — one short of the requirement — in the face of intractable opposition from Lightfoot, who said it would be “spun as a property tax increase.”

That enraged advocates for unhoused Chicagoans.

While candidate Lightfoot backed Bring Chicago Home, less than six months after taking office, she said the proposal was dead, given Chicago’s precarious financial position.