Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed $16.6 billion budget for 2026 suffered a major setback on Monday, November 17, when the City Council’s Finance Committee voted 25–10 against advancing the revenue portion of his spending plan.
Johnson had hoped for a full City Council vote before Thanksgiving, but the committee’s rejection now delays consideration until later in the season. Finance Committee Chair Alderman Pat Dowell attempted to postpone the vote until December 3, but members declined, choosing instead to vote immediately after Budget Director Annette Guzman introduced a revised revenue package more than an hour after the meeting was scheduled to begin.
A central point of contention remains Johnson’s proposal for a $21-per-employee monthly “head tax” on large companies. The administration’s original version applied to firms with more than 100 employees, was later adjusted to those with more than 200, and then revised again to target businesses with 100 or more workers. Johnson’s team projected the tax would generate $100 million—$82 million for violence-prevention and youth-employment programs and $18 million for small-business grants…