"Who decided on those raises?" Ald. Lopez asks department after department about five-figure pay jumps

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) used his time at Thursday's City Council budget hearings to ask the same question of each department: who approved the large raises he found for employees who are not covered by union contracts?

Why it matters: the 2027 budget asks residents and businesses for new taxes to close a gap of more than $800 million. Lopez said it is hard to explain to taxpayers why some jobs in the budget show five-figure increases when inflation is running around 2%.

Department by department

Streets and Sanitation. Lopez said some people in the department were getting $20,000 to $30,000 raises and asked whether that was the commissioner's recommendation or the budget office's. Commissioner Cole Stallard answered that it "wasn't my recommendation." He said he would look at the positions and reply in writing (watch).

Transportation. Lopez said he saw non-union raises of $13,000 to $23,000 at the Chicago Department of Transportation. He said two or three people were "on the verge of making more than the mayor," and asked who requested the adjustments (watch). While the department looked for an answer, he moved on to infrastructure bond projects. He said, citing the department's own figures, that only 21 alleys from wards' 2023 submissions have been built.

Technology and Innovation. In this department Lopez listed raises of $13,000, $17,000 and $20,000, two of about $25,000 and one of $46,000. He said about four people now earn as much as the mayor or more (watch).

Chief Information Officer Nick Lucius gave the fullest answer of the day. He said salaries follow the budget office's pay schedules. A jump that large, he said, is usually a position that was vacant last year and was listed at the bottom of its pay range. When a City employee transfers in, they keep their grade and are placed near their old salary, so the budget line rises even though no one got a raise.

Lopez said departments keep giving that explanation without showing what the person earned before or whether they got a raise the year before. "It's not just a you problem," he told Lucius. "This is a city-wide problem." He said he would ask every department for each transferred employee's previous salary and last adjustment. He pointed to a solutions architect job that goes from about $119,000 to $165,000 in the budget.

What our records add

The comparison Lopez drew. Lopez set the raises against inflation of about 2.3% and the 5% cap on the mayor's raise. Pay for alderpersons, the mayor, the clerk and the treasurer is tied to inflation, and since 2022 the yearly increase for the three citywide officials has been capped at 5%, Block Club has reported. All 50 alderpersons are in line for an increase of about 2.3% in 2027, and the mayor is turning his down, as we reported Friday.

How this gets decided. The Council doesn't vote on individual salaries. Pay for non-union jobs is set in the budget's salary schedules and position lists, and the Council approves them all together when it passes the budget. Members can change positions or pay through amendments before that vote. In practice, the questions at these hearings shape what the Mayor's Office changes in the final budget.

Lopez's voting record. Lopez has cast 21 of the 44 lone "no" votes on key roll calls this term, more than any other member, according to our lone dissents page. His ward page lists every vote. He is running unopposed for reelection, Block Club reported.

What's next

• Through the chair: Streets and Sanitation and Technology and Innovation promised written answers. Lopez asked Technology and Innovation for the prior salaries of employees who transferred in.
• Mon., Nov. 9: the Department of Human Resources comes before the committee, along with Procurement and the Treasurer, according to the hearing schedule.
• By Dec. 31: the Council must pass the 2027 budget.

The full exchange with each department is on our meeting page, with a searchable transcript.

Sources: Chicago Politics: Transcript, Oct. 29, 2026 budget hearing; Block Club Chicago: All 50 alderpersons agree to take pay boost for next year; Chicago Politics: Budget hearing schedule.