City Budgets

The annual city budget contains the revenues, expenditures and liabilities of the City for the next fiscal year. Illinois law (Chapter 65 ILCS 5/8-2-1) requires that the City Council adopt its annual budget on or before December 31 of the previous year. The Office of the City Clerk will regularly update these documents and provide additional information as necessary.

Each year the City Council approves a corporate budget, formally known as the Annual Appropriation Ordinance. This document contains the expenditures and liabilities of the City and specifies the appropriations for the next fiscal year (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31).

Departments submit revenue and expenditure estimates to the Office of Budget and Management for preparation of the budget. Before August 1 of each year, the Budget Director files the next year’s Annual Financial Analysis Report with the City Clerk outlining the City’s fiscal projection. In accordance with Illinois law, the Mayor is required to submit his Executive Budget recommendations for City Council consideration (65 ILCS 5/8-2-2). Once introduced, the budget is immediately sent to the City Council Committee on Budget and Government Operations for review. Prior to final consideration and under State law, the full City Council will hold at least one public hearing to give citizens’ an opportunity to speak on the proposed budget.

After considering any amendments or adjustments, the City Council must then vote to approve a final balanced budget no later than Dec. 31 of each year.

For your convenience, we have published these budgets to the document library in the table below.  Please note in the table below adjacent to each budget title and Mayor, there is a corresponding download link.

Published Date Document Mayor Download
1999 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(7.13 MB)
1998 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(8.66 MB)
1997 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(7.12 MB)
1996 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(7.73 MB)
1995 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(8.24 MB)
1994 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(7.75 MB)
1993 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(8.19 MB)
1992 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(7.57 MB)
1991 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(6.92 MB)
1990 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Richard M. Daley Download(6.62 MB)
1989 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Eugene Sawyer Download(6.8 MB)
1988 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Eugene Sawyer Download(6.29 MB)
1987 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Harold Washington Download(7.5 MB)
1986 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Harold Washington Download(7.28 MB)
1985 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Harold Washington Download(6.58 MB)
1984 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Harold Washington Download(5.01 MB)
1983 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Jane Margaret Byrne Download(5.13 MB)
1982 Annual Appropriation Ordinance Jane Margaret Byrne Download(5.08 MB)