The Chicago Police Department (CPD) exceeded its overtime budget for 2024 just six months into the year as the force grapples with massive staffing shortages and a dismal budget shortfall, WTTW News reported Monday.

Chicago has already spent $129 million in the first six months of 2024 on overtime pay for its police officers, which is 30% more than the city council allocated in the 2024 budget, according to records obtained by WTTW News. Overtime is now on pace to cost $258 million by the end of the year as the city struggles with a massive projected $982 million budget gap for fiscal year 2025.

A controversial Illinois law affecting credit cards has prompted opinion polls, lawsuits and an array of opinions.

The Interchange Fee Prohibition Act was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and is set to take effect in July 2025, making Illinois the first state to exempt taxes and tips from interchange fees.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will make his budget address two weeks later than anticipated this year as the city works to close a $982.4 million budget gap.

The original budget speech was expected for Oct. 16, officials from the city’s budget office told WBEZ, but is now slated for the day before Halloween on Oct. 30. The Council will then hold two weeks of budget hearings from Nov. 6 through Nov. 20 before a Thanksgiving break. That leaves two weeks for City Council members to consider amendments to the proposed budget. The mayor’s office hopes for a final vote on Dec. 4.

Naperville residents could be paying more for water and electricity next year as the city continues improvements to the two utilities.

The city’s preliminary capital improvement plan budget for 2025 includes $183 million for major projects, including continued work replacing aging water mains and underground electric cables, and the proposed utility rate hikes. City council members are expected to vote this month on the proposed increases, which could add $8 to the average monthly electric bill and $9 to the average water bill in 2025.

The Urbana City Council voted to pass a proposed fuel tax increase Monday night. The proposal passed 7-0 with all council members voting “yes.”

The fuel tax will begin January 2024. In the first year, residents will see an increase of 7.5 cents per gallon. By the third year, the tax per gallon will rise to 12.5 cents.