# All 50 alderpersons are in line for a raise of about 2.3% next year. The Mayor is passing on his

*Salaries for Chicago's elected officials rise with inflation unless they opt out. Budget documents show every Council member opted in for 2027, Block Club Chicago reports.*

By Chicago Politics · Updated Oct 30, 2026

Every member of the City Council is set to get a raise of about 2.3% in 2027 under Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposed budget, while Johnson will keep his current salary, [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/29/all-50-alderpeople-in-line-for-a-raise-next-year/) Thursday.

Why it matters: the raises come in a budget that would close a gap of nearly $900 million partly with new taxes, including a reinstated head tax on large employers and a 15-cent tax on delivered packages. Members are debating those proposals now.

## How the raises work

Pay for alderpersons, the Mayor, the City Clerk and the City Treasurer is tied to inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. Each official can opt in or out each year, and all 50 alderpersons opted in for 2027, according to the budget documents Block Club reviewed. In 2022, then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot pushed a measure capping the yearly increase for the Mayor, Clerk and Treasurer at 5%, Block Club reported.

## The numbers

According to Block Club:

- **Top Council salary:** $159,264 in 2027. About 29 alderpersons are at the top and would get roughly $3,570 more.
- **Lowest:** Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), at $128,892 after a raise of about $2,800. Salaries differ because some members have skipped raises in past years.
- **Clerk and Treasurer:** City Clerk Anna Valencia and Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin are each slated to earn $179,592.
- **Mayor:** Johnson would stay at $221,052. He took a raise in his first budget, in 2024, the first mayoral raise since 2006, and has declined them since.

## What members said

Ald. Maria Hadden (49th), who skipped the 2023 raise when inflation pushed it to 9.6%, said she is taking this one. "I need it," she told Block Club, pointing to work costs members pay out of pocket, such as food at community events.

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) told Block Club that his neighbors understand how much work he puts in, citing long hours and constituent service.

## What our records add

**The raises are part of the budget vote.** The raises are in the Mayor's 2027 budget recommendations, according to Block Club, and the Council must pass the budget by Dec. 31. Members vote on the whole budget at once, not department by department. The departments' requests are going through hearings now before the [Committee on Budget and Government Operations](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/committee/budget-and-government-operations), which resume Nov. 4.

**How members spend their time.** Each [ward page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/wards) shows a member's attendance on key roll calls, legislation filed and votes this term. Hadden's [49th Ward page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/49) and Vasquez's [40th Ward page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/40) have both members' records. Villegas's is on the [36th Ward page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/36).

**Who's running again.** Hadden, Vasquez, Villegas, Valencia, Conyears-Ervin and Johnson all filed nominating papers for the Feb. 23 election, according to our [2027 election pages](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027).

## What's next

- **Nov. 4 to 10:** budget hearings resume after election week.
- **By Dec. 31:** the Council must pass a balanced 2027 budget, including these salaries.
- **Jan. 1, 2027:** the start of the budget year.


## Sources

1. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/29/all-50-alderpeople-in-line-for-a-raise-next-year/)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/chicago-alderpersons-2027-raise-2-3-percent-cpi-salaries-mayor-declines · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt