Overview
- The City Council’s Finance Committee voted 25–10 to defeat the mayor’s roughly $600 million revenue plan after efforts to delay a vote failed on 24–7 and 18–18 procedural roll calls.
- The centerpiece head tax would charge $21 per employee per month, with the latest version applying to firms with 100 or more workers and reserving $18 million for small-business grants in targeted areas.
- Johnson’s team had floated a 200-employee threshold that lowered projected head-tax revenue to $82 million before reverting to the 100-employee design following pushback.
- The rejected package also sought to raise the city’s cloud/software tax to 15%, add a social‑media “amusement” levy, increase boat‑mooring fees, and authorize about $1.8 billion in borrowing for capital needs, legal payouts and retroactive pay.
- Opponents warned the head tax would discourage hiring and deepen downtown vacancies as homeowners face higher bills, citing a recent county analysis showing a sharp rise in median property tax burdens.