City council voted down a motion that would have removed a general wage increase for mayor and council, along with all non-union city employees in 2021.

Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti brought the motion to the table on Dec. 21 during a meeting of the finance and administration committee, after more than three hours of discussion among councillors about where staff should be directed to look for savings in order to create a budget that results in a property tax increase of no more than 3.9 per cent.

The city is facing its largest budget gap ever, due largely to COVID-19, and must find ways to close a $14-million funding hole in order to pass their budget in February or March.

The motion directed city staff to remove a general wage increase of two per cent for members of council and all non-union staff, which would result in a net savings of around $550,000.

For the rest of the story by Matt Durnan head to Sudbury.com