At a special meeting, the City Council voted 44–6 to direct the $75 million upfront payment from the Stonepeak parking-meter deal to pension debt as an extra payment — instead of letting Johnson count it toward his planned 2027 pension payment.
The vote directs the $75 million to pension debt as an extra payment, rather than letting the mayor count it toward the pension payment already planned in his FY2027 budget. Johnson’s budget had built the money in, so the vote opens a $75 million hole he now has to fill.
The margin matters: 44 votes is well above the 34 needed to override a veto. If Johnson vetoes the ordinance, the Council has the votes to override him.
The vote is also a measure of where the Council stands. A body that overrode the mayor’s veto on the debt-approval ordinance in October — falling one vote short of the 34 needed, 33–17 — has now, on a $75 million question, voted against the mayor’s budget math by a 44–6 margin.
This is the second time in weeks the Council has moved against the mayor’s fiscal plans, and this time with a veto-proof majority. With budget hearings running through Nov. 10 and a budget due by Dec. 31, the $75 million hole is now Johnson’s problem to solve — by finding replacement revenue, cutting spending, or borrowing more.
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