There was one vote per City Council candidate, if calculating by such terms, at this morning’s town hall meeting on the Fiscal Year 2013 budget that will be finalized in the next 10 days.

There was one vote per City Council candidate, if calculating by such terms, at this morning’s town hall meeting on the Fiscal Year 2013 budget that will be finalized in the next 10 days.

Four candidates for the May 1 City Council election — Mayor Nader Baroukh, Councilman Lawrence Webb, Phil Duncan and John Lawrence — were present at the meeting where an equal number of citizens unaffiliated with City Hall sat among a large contingent of sitting Council and School Board members and City staff personnel. A lively discussion on the level of the fund balance proposed for the budget (17 percent) ensued nonetheless. In addition to Baroukh and Webb, other Council members present (not running this time) were Vice Mayor Dave Snyder, Ron Peppe and Ira Kaylin.

It was concurred by all that Council consensus has been reached on a 5.5 percent salary increase for City employees, the 17 percent fund balance and full funding for the School Board request, developments reported earlier out of Thursday night’s Council work session.