A budget game built on real numbers

GAP CITY
$882.4M to go

You’re mayor of Chicago. The city’s FY2027 budget forecast, released Sept. 3, 2026, projects an $882.4 million shortfall. You have to close it, get 26 of 50 alderpeople to vote yes, and then live with the results for a year.

Where the gap comes from

Revenue −$375.9M

Costs +$506.5M

One-time 2026 money runs outPensions, debt, settlements, raises, fuel

Set aside for lawsuits and settlements in 2027: $401M
Required pension bill (up $90.5M): $2.94B
Extra debt payments vs. 2026: +$70M
2026 debt-sale plan that never materialized: −$89.6M

How to play

1 · PickFlip revenue, cuts, borrowing and spending choices. Each one links to its source.

2 · PassBalance the budget, then send it to the City Council. You need 26 votes.

3 · Live itWatch 2027 play out on the map and get a report card.

Sound on. Drag to pan, pinch or scroll to zoom.

Sources: City of Chicago press release and WTTW News, Sept. 3, 2026. The map is a stylized, compressed Chicago, not to scale.

City Council · Budget vote

Roll call on your 2027 budget

AYE 0NEED 26NAY 0

Sources & method

Where these numbers come from

How the game works

Dollar amounts come from the sources above. Items tagged Game estimate are derived by us from sourced figures, and each one explains the math. The effects on safety, services, affordability, business and fiscal health, the council vote counts and the year-in-review headlines are simplified game mechanics meant to start a discussion. They are not predictions. Simulated headlines are labeled as simulated.