Sault Ste. Marie city council shrinks from 12 to 10

City council in Sault Ste. Marie is shrinking.

In a tight 7 to 6 vote last night, city council decided to remove two chairs from around their own table in time for the 2018 election.

This will mean re-drawing the map to have five wards covering the Sault instead of six. The redrawingis expected to take place over the summer and be finalized by the end of the year.

But city councillor Marchy Bruniargued that this question should be put to voters in a referendum.

"Not one councillor when running for council ran on a platform to change the ward system or reduce councillor," Brunisaid.

"We have one or two individuals who want to make a change to say a change has been made."

'Momentous' decision...or not?

Veteran city councillor Steve Butland said he didn't see this as "momentous" decision and thought some councillors were making a bigger issue than it needed to be.

Going down from 12 councillors to 10 will save about $60,000 a year.

Mayor Christian Provenzano argued it was hypocritical of council to cut elsewhere at city hall and leave the council chambers as is.

"If it's not OK to have an extra plow operator and it's not OK to have an extra person in finance or an extra person in human resources, there shouldn't be extra people in this room."

The new ward map still needs to be approved by Sault Ste. Marie city council before the 2018 municipal election.

The composition of city council has long been debated in Greater Sudbury, which some pushing for at least some councillors to be elected at-large instead by geographic specific wards.

But in 2015, Sudbury city council voted to put off any changes until after the 2018 election.