Overview
- City Council convened the first of five meetings planned before Christmas to advance a 2026 budget ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline to avoid a shutdown.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson reaffirmed support for a narrowed corporate head tax of about $33 per employee at firms with 500 or more workers to fund violence prevention and youth jobs.
- Johnson has pledged to veto any plan that raises garbage fees, property taxes or groceries, though his office signaled a budget without those hikes could avoid a veto if it truly balances.
- After trimming the proposed garbage fee from $18 to $15, opposition aldermen removed it entirely; their alternative currently counts 27 co-sponsors following an alderman’s withdrawal.
- The council bloc continues to pitch other revenues, including higher liquor taxes, an expanded rideshare surcharge, selling delinquent debt to collectors, and changes affecting video gambling and short-term rental taxes.