CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson says he's standing by the most controversial part of his proposed budget for next year ... in the wake of a "no" vote in a key City Council committee.
Monday morning's vote means aldermen and the mayor's office have less time to approve a spending plan before the end of the year.
It's been years since aldermen have voted down a mayoral budget plan ... mostly because past mayors haven't introduced a budget until they know it'll pass.
But on a vote of ten "yes" to 25 "no" votes, members of the Finance Committee rejected the revenue side of the Johnson Administration's budget, including that $21 per worker per month head tax on big corporations to fund violence prevention programs.
After the vote, some aldermen characterized it as a clear message to the mayor ... but later, Johnson told reporters he doesn't see it that way.
"These individuals are more interested in protecting the corporations - the largest corporations in our city - than protecting working people," Mayor Johnson said of the aldermen who rejected the budget.
"They told Englewood no. They told Roseland no. They told North Lawndale no," the mayor continued, surrounded by some members of the Council's Progressive Caucus.
The mayor also says he'll veto any budget that includes a property tax increase, a garbage collection fee increase or a continuation of the grocery tax.
Everything's now on hold until after Thanksgiving.