Chicago just spent more than $80K to renovate, furnish the office of First Lady Stacie Johnson — all while the city is grappling with a nearly billion-dollar budget shortfall

However, invoices and receipts — collected through several Freedom of Information Act requests by NBC 5 Investigates — are sparking questions about how the city has spent funds in recent months.

For example, the paper trail shows that the city spent more than $80,000 renovating and redecorating an office for Chicago First Lady Stacie Johnson.

The electricians, carpenters, and painters on the city’s payroll for this project accrued more than 350 hours of labor at more than $25,000.

This has raised eyebrows from many who question the need for such lavish renovations during a time of financial crisis in the Windy City.

The mayor's response

In addition to the cost of labor, the receipts obtained by NBC 5 Investigates showed various high-end furniture purchases. For example, the city was billed $2,200 for a high-back executive chair and $4,400 for a desk listed on the invoice as "First Lady's Desk."

The paperwork also shows that the city spent more than $43,000 on office furniture alone.

The work on Room 306 of the Chicago Cultural Center allegedly began in February and continued through August of this year.

When asked for an explanation, Mayor Johnson told reporters, "the Cultural Center has always been a location for dignitaries; every first lady has had office space there. Renovations for my office or any other office is standard procedure."

When pressed again by reporters about the optics of such expenses in a time of financial criss, Mayor Johnson explained that the purchase of an office desk “is not going to change the financial structural damage that has been in place for a long time.”

A spokesperson for former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who held the office from 2019 to 2023, told reporters that she did not do any major renovations during her term in office.

How budget deficits could impact Chicago

It’s been less than two years since Mayor Johnson took office, but his approval rating has rapidly plummeted to a mere 27.1%, according to polling from the Illinois Policy Institute.

Of those surveyed, more than 62% have an “unfavorable” opinion of Mayor Johnson.

However, the city of Chicago has a long history of budget deficits. In 2023, the city projected a $538 million dollar deficit, nearly half of the projected shortfall for 2025.

But with regards to the current crisis, Mayor Johnson hasn’t ruled out property tax increases, which is a major concern for the Civic Federation who is urging the mayor to “not further pile on homeowners.”