Two Chicago City Council committees advanced Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2025 spending plan and a scaled-down property-tax hike and other levies, moving the city closer to passing its 2025 budget on time.

The Finance Committee’s 14-12 vote and Budget Committee's 17-to-16 vote set the stage for the marathon budget stalemate to end Friday, averting what might have been Chicago's first budget shutdown.

The method used to get the vote came under fire from several alders who argued that votes for property tax increases are normally separate from those for increases in fines and fees.