Mayor Brandon Johnson was accused Tuesday of proposing a $1 billion tax increment-financing surplus to bail out the Chicago Public Schools at the expense of neighborhood improvement projects, a move roundly condemned by City Council members.

The record TIF surplus that would provide $552.4 million to help bankroll a new teachers contract emerged as the key point of contention during the first day of City Council hearings on Johnson’s proposed $16.6 billion budget.

Mayoral allies and critics alike were united in their opposition to a TIF surplus that they fear could derail or, at the very least, delay indefinitely improvements to their local schools, parks and libraries, as well as job-creating economic development projects.

Rules Committee Chair Michelle Harris (8th), a powerful member

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