# Mayor Johnson's veto of the 30-vote borrowing rule stands after an override falls one vote short

*The Council voted in September to require 30 votes for City debt. On Oct. 14, 33 alderpersons voted to override the Mayor's veto, one short of the 34 it takes.*

By Chicago Politics · Updated Oct 16, 2026

Chicago's City Council will keep borrowing money with a simple majority. On Oct. 14, alderpersons tried to override Mayor Brandon Johnson's veto of an ordinance that would have required 30 of the 50 votes to approve City debt. The override got 33 votes to 17, and it needed 34.

Here is how the rule got this far, what each side argued, and what it means for the streets, bridges and parks that City borrowing pays for.

## What the rule would have done

The ordinance, from Ald. Marty Quinn, whose 13th Ward covers Clearing and parts of Garfield Ridge, West Elsdon and West Lawn on the Southwest Side, would have added a Section 2-8-036 to the Municipal Code. Any ordinance letting the City issue bonds or take on other debt would have needed a three-fifths vote of the Council, 30 votes, instead of the simple majority of 26 that most measures need.

The Council passed it 32 to 15 on Sept. 29, with three alderpersons not voting. During that debate, Ald. William Conway (34th Ward) put the stakes in terms of a department every block knows.

> "This year, we're going to spend about $2 billion on debt service, and that number will increase next year."
> — Ald. William Conway (34th Ward), City Council, Sept. 29, 2026

## Why the Mayor vetoed it

Johnson returned the ordinance without his approval in a letter filed with the City Clerk on Oct. 9. He argued the higher bar would fall hardest on the places that most need investment.

> "Neighborhoods with the greatest infrastructure needs should not face additional barriers to securing essential public investment."
> — Mayor Brandon Johnson, veto letter, Oct. 9, 2026

He also wrote that the ordinance "does not put into place any additional measures around debt affordability, reporting requirements, or financial oversight." He noted that its three-fifths requirement would be higher than the vote needed to pass the City's $16.6 billion budget. The [veto letter](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/021077e9-967d-44d2-88d1-f5557ff4d9c0.pdf) was read into the record at the Oct. 14 meeting.

## How the override vote went

Quinn moved to adopt the ordinance again "notwithstanding the mayoral veto." Under state law, overriding a mayor's veto takes two-thirds of the Council, 34 votes. After a long debate, the chair announced 33 yeas and 17 nays, and the motion failed. The ordinance does not take effect. The City Clerk had not posted the roll call for the override by publication; we will add how each alderperson voted when it does.

Video: [Ald. Marty Quinn moves to override the veto](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/39FE6EE4-2FBC-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5?t=2:05:19-2:06:28)

## The case for overriding

Supporters said the higher bar would force more scrutiny of how the City borrows. Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) took on the Mayor's argument directly.

> "There's this fallacy being pushed around that a three-fifths majority will somehow paralyze any new infrastructure or development in this city."
> — Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), City Council, Oct. 14, 2026

Reilly said Chicago is the only one of the 10 biggest U.S. cities that issues debt with a simple majority. Quinn closed the debate by casting the rule as a check the Council never had.

> "I think this legislation demonstrates to the taxpayers that finally this council is clawing back some of the influence that we never had."
> — Ald. Marty Quinn (13th Ward), City Council, Oct. 14, 2026

![Ald. Brendan Reilly speaking at the City Council](/img/block/oct14-reilly.jpg "Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) at the City Council, Oct. 14, 2026. City of Chicago video.")

## The case for the veto

Opponents argued the rule would hand a minority of the Council a way to block borrowing the city needs. Ald. Jason Ervin (28th Ward), who chairs the Council's budget committee, compared the threshold to a veto of its own.

> "A minority says no. That's not independence. That's a veto with a better branding."
> — Ald. Jason C. Ervin (28th Ward), City Council, Oct. 14, 2026

Video: [Ald. Jason Ervin speaks against the override](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/39FE6EE4-2FBC-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5?t=2:22:11-2:22:43)

Ald. David Moore (17th Ward) described the vote in terms of the Council's Black Caucus, which he said has 20 members, six short of a majority. A higher threshold, he said, would mean finding more votes to win anything for his ward.

> "I said, no, what you're asking me to do is give up my power."
> — Ald. David H. Moore (17th Ward), City Council, Oct. 14, 2026

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward), who did not vote in September, said he would vote against the override. Ald. Maria Hadden (49th Ward) called the measure a distraction from the City's debt problems.

## What it means on your block

Nothing changes in how the City borrows. A bond or loan ordinance still needs 26 votes, the same as before. Those ordinances pay for street resurfacing, bridges and other infrastructure in every neighborhood.

The fight over who controls borrowing isn't over. Debt service, about $2 billion this year by Conway's count, competes with everything else in the City's budget. You can follow the ordinance and the veto on [the ordinance's page](/matter/O2026-0026270-adding-new-regarding-ordinance-requirements-issuance). Check your own alderperson's vote there once the Clerk posts the override roll call.

*Updated Oct. 16, 2026: This article now reports Mayor Johnson's Oct. 9 veto and the Council's Oct. 14 override vote. An earlier version, published Oct. 15, described the three-fifths rule as in effect.*


## Legislation in this story

- [Amendment of Municipal Code Chapter 2-8 by adding new Section 2-8-036 regarding ordinance requirements for issuance of bonds and other indebtedness including approval by three-fifths affirmative vote of alderpersons for ordinances authorizing debt issuance](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0026270-adding-new-regarding-ordinance-requirements-issuance) (O2026-0026270)
- [Mayoral veto of ordinance passed on September 29, 2026 requiring any debt issuance ordinance to be approved by three-fifths vote of alderpersons entitle by law to be elected (O2026-0026270)](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/F2026-0029381-mayoral-veto-ordinance-passed-september-29) (F2026-0029381)

## Sources

1. City Clerk: [O2026-0026270: Amendment of Municipal Code Chapter 2-8 by adding new Section 2-8-036 regarding ordinance requirements for issuance of bonds and other indebtedness including approval by three-fifths affirmative vote of alderpersons for ordinances authorizing debt issuance](https://chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Matter/?matterId=E30B2A49-5F6A-F111-A823-001DD812B39C)
2. City Clerk: [O2026-0026270, Legislation: w13 - o26270.pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/2f33cbce-08d0-4c67-a889-fdc1ca30d472.pdf)
3. City Clerk: [O2026-0026270, Committee Letter: O2026-0026270 C.L..pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/4349ec73-5406-4988-82ea-c000584e6b2d.pdf)
4. City Clerk: [F2026-0029381: Mayoral veto of ordinance passed on September 29, 2026 requiring any debt issuance ordinance to be approved by three-fifths vote of alderpersons entitle by law to be elected (O2026-0026270)](https://chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Matter/?matterId=4CFAD3FF-20C4-F111-AAAE-001DD803894A)
5. City Clerk: [F2026-0029381, Legislation: F2026-0029381 Mayoral Veto 0026270.pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/021077e9-967d-44d2-88d1-f5557ff4d9c0.pdf)
6. City of Chicago: [City Council, Sep 29, 2026: meeting video](https://vimeo.com/1230273462)
7. City Clerk: [City Council, Sep 29, 2026: Agenda](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/ebd1cf9a-4a01-4c85-913d-81a37bda644c.pdf)
8. City Clerk: [City Council, Sep 29, 2026: Notice](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/fafaea1d-99b7-f111-aaac-001dd80fda55.pdf)
9. City of Chicago: [City Council, Oct 14, 2026: meeting video](https://vimeo.com/1235564993)
10. City Clerk: [City Council, Oct 14, 2026: Notice](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/5dc2983c-30bc-f111-aaae-001dd803894a.pdf)
11. City Clerk: [City Council, Oct 14, 2026: Agenda](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/7ad74e3d-811e-4504-93a7-a7d70d4cff3b.pdf)
12. Chicago Politics: [O2026-0026270: votes, timeline and summary](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0026270-adding-new-regarding-ordinance-requirements-issuance)
13. Chicago Politics: [F2026-0029381: votes, timeline and summary](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/F2026-0029381-mayoral-veto-ordinance-passed-september-29)
14. Chicago Politics: [City Council, Sep 29, 2026: transcript](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/1230273462.txt)
15. Chicago Politics: [City Council, Oct 14, 2026: transcript](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/1235564993.txt)
16. City of Chicago: [Neighborhood and community area boundaries (Chicago Data Portal)](https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/y6yq-dbs2)

On the map: [Clearing](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/clearing), [Garfield Ridge](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/garfield-ridge), [West Lawn](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/west-lawn), [West Elsdon](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/west-elsdon), [13th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/13)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/city-council-30-votes-to-borrow · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt