[img_assist|nid=154|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=500|height=333]Each year at the start of budget time, city councillors and officials scratch their heads at the enormous challenges driving up the levy.

[img_assist|nid=5|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=500|height=413]Despite the protests of some online commenters, who claim to be sick and tired of hearing about the OPP costing issue, I must indulge my inner wonk on this question of procedure.

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So Councillor Jeff Earle's political math did not prove to be quite accurate.

City council's vote last night on his motion to halt the OPP costing process ended up with a five-four split in favour, rather than the six-four result Earle had anticipated.

[img_assist|nid=138|title=Jeff Earle, left, and Mayor Henderson|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=500|height=333]Predicting the exact outcome of city council votes is not something I've done up to date. Since party whips and agendas are not involved at the local level, one has to get into people's heads.

I have no qualms doing it, however, when someone else is doing the predicting.

[img_assist|nid=57|title=City police officers will be armed with a sound meter.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=500|height=333]On paper, Brockville's revised noise bylaw has enough in it to get people worked up.

That's evident in the online responses to our story, and the lopsided (if unscientific) poll results.

Later this month, city councillors will debate a motion to reduce the size of council by one.

As I've said before, the idea of reducing a 10-member council by only one is likely to generate a certain “Meh” response from the public.

[img_assist|nid=147|title=Councillor Tom Blanchard, left, and Mayor David Henderson speak to YMCA CEO Sueling Ching.|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=500|height=379]It's hard to dispute Councillor Mary Jean McFall's intentions when she argues for city funding of the YMCA pool.

[img_assist|nid=145|title=Councillors Jane Fullarton, left, and Mary Jean McFall|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=500|height=410]What was arguably the most pertinent comment arising from city council's regional policing debate last night came from Councillor Mary Jean McFall.

[img_assist|nid=142|title=COPS members in attendance Monday|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=500|height=307]One could feel a certain sense of relief from the gallery, and a sense of frustration from the contact committee table, when discussion at Monday's meeting turned to the prospect of a moratorium on OPP costings.

[img_assist|nid=140|title=The crowd did not go up to the mike|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=500|height=332]I had one of those “What-The” moments last night.