Mayor Johnson attempts to reintroduce head tax in budget before full City Council vote Saturday

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson made a last minute maneuver to reintroduce his controversial corporate head tax Friday. He wanted that revenue to replace the city debt collection proposal that he opposes.

That move got temporarily shelved, but it's clear the mayor is not ready to concede he's lost the budget battle.

The stage is now set for the full City Council to vote on the entire budget package during Saturday's meeting, but Mayor Johnson insists there's still time to work out some kind of compromise.

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Johnson brought a Friday surprise to the City Council, but there were no holiday treats involved. Instead, he introduced a last-minute revised budget ordinance to reintroduce the corporate head tax. It was the same measure that a majority of the City Council had previously voted down in the finance committee.

Johnson's ordinance immediately got sent to the rules committee, where it's likely dead.

"This is a good time to stop playing the games, and let's get serious about balancing a budget that a clear majority of the City Council supports, and let's move on," 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly said.

The mayor's modified budget calls for allowing gaming at Midway Airport instead of having video gaming terminals spread around the city. And, he restored the full pension payment for city employees, which his aldermanic opponents had been pushing for. But he continued to express concerns that the alternative budget was unbalanced.

"There's an attempt to sell off debt, to send debt collectors after working people again," Johnson said. "I don't believe this is a principle approach towards how we balance our budget."

The alders supporting an alternative budget to the mayor's insist their plan would not go after the working poor who could not pay outstanding water bills or parking tickets, but instead businesses and developers who owe the city money and can afford to pay.

"Those are the people. If they are not paying their bills, they need to pay them," 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack said. So this is a very simple process. The mayor just needs to stop the rhetoric, get to the table and start doing the work that the legislative body who represent the people of this city tell him to do."

With the two sides agreeing on almost the entire budget plan the mayor proposed, ABC7 asked the mayor why he could not accept that as a win.

"You know how many times people fought for civil rights, women's rights, the rights to vote?" Johnson said. "Wouldn't that have been a shame if we would have had that same question for people a generation ago that you've lost it, why not just give up?"

If the alternative budget coalition succeeds in passing its plan over the Mayor's objection it would be the first time that's happened in decades, if ever.

"This is what leadership looks like, these 29, 30 aldermen that have been with us. We've sat down, we've engaged," said Ald. Nicole Lee, Budget Committee Vice Chair. "You've seen moments where we've been criticized for things that have been put on the table. Lots of things get put on a table in the process of making a budget. That's what this is all about. I wish the mayor knew that."

The mayor is still contemplating a veto.

If for some reason the budget vote does not happen Saturday, there's are still other City Council meetings planned for next week, including on December 23 and 24. The mayor did say he would like to get a budget passed before Christmas.