Mayor Brandon Johnson is all but giving up on his proposed $300 million property tax hike before aldermen kill it, and pushing them to find other revenue in its place to avert layoffs. Johnson’s administration is combing over alternatives to the tax jump ahead of a meeting Wednesday where the City Council is expected to vote it down.

The mayor and council members are now negotiating hikes to taxes and fees on alcohol, streaming services and garbage collection, among others.

In total, the levy hike is expected to net an additional $10.6 million from the city’s so-called “sin taxes” on beer, wine and liquor sales.

But leaders from Chicago’s bar and restaurant industry argue those tax hikes are untenable while business owners are still struggling with rising costs inflicted upon them since the pandemic. “Our margins are already razor thin and further tax of those margins would put us in a difficult position,

Johnson stopped short Tuesday of saying he has the votes in the City Council to pass even the smaller increase, down from his original $300 million proposed hike.