 " Arguably , the single most important legislative responsibility that aldermen have is voting on the city budget each year , " Shiller said . She was the lone dissenting vote on Daley 's 1996 , 1997 and 1998 budgets . During hearings on Daley 's 1996 budget , which included a $ 19 @.@ 5 million property @-@ tax increase , she submitted 123 questions on the budget in writing to department heads , but only 35 were answered . She objected to the tax increase in a period of several years of budget surpluses . She attended every hearing on Daley 's 1997 budget armed with policy questions that she said went unanswered . She was often the only alderman present at budget hearings . 
