Councilmembers press city for changes to 2027 budget proposal

One month into the city s 2027 budget season and with initial votes fast approaching, several Evanston councilmembers voiced frustration with the lack of changes to City Manager Luke Stowe s proposal during a special meeting Monday night. The budget-only meeting included a Truth in Taxation hearing on the overall proposed hike of 8.9% between the city and library s property tax levies, well over the 5% threshold that triggers a legally-mandated hearing. After that ended, Senior Financial Analyst Michael Van Dorpe gave a brief presentation on the tax levies, which he acknowledged didn t have too much new content compared to previous meetings. Michael Van Dorpe (at podium), the city s senior financial analyst, speaks to City Council about the proposed property tax levy hike at Monday s special meeting on the 2027 budget. Credit: Alex Harrison Among other details, Van Dorpe noted the city held its levy relatively flat in the five years between the last major hikes in 2020 a