Overview
- The 30–18 vote sends an alternative 2026 plan to Mayor Brandon Johnson that excludes his corporate head tax.
- A veto override would require 34 votes, and failure to enact a budget by Dec. 30 could halt city operations.
- The package raises taxes on plastic bags, liquor and rideshare trips, boosts cloud levies, adds a first-in-the-nation social media tax, legalizes video gambling, and pursues revenue by selling unpaid city debt.
- City budget officials say the plan is short by about $163 million and warn of possible midyear layoffs, furloughs or cuts if revenues come up short.
- Backers highlight a restored full advance pension payment and a major TIF sweep to CPS, while Johnson criticizes the approach as ill conceived and questions its revenue assumptions.