'Small compromises' helped council build budget, Ford says

While praising the "small compromises" that helped councillors sculpt their 2013 city budget, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said taxpayers can be proud that they fought off larger spending requests from members he compared to hungry piranhas.

"Every member, every single member of council can be happy with the small compromises made in it, because even with the compromises, we have turned the corner," Ford said during a news conference on Wednesday.

By midday, council had passed its 2013 budget, which had more spending in it than the mayor and his executive council had wanted.

The CBC’s Jamie Strashin reported Wednesday that the $12 million added to the budget would come from childcare, social-housing and social-assistance reserves.

When Ford was asked for his reaction to the spending increases that were added to the budget, the mayor said the changes were less than what had been requested by members.

"We fended them off, they’re like piranhas," Ford said. "So you're going to get bitten a few times, but you know what, you’re in there and they could have been a lot worse."

Other council members posted their reaction to the budget on Twitter.

Coun. James Pasternak tweeted that the 2013 budget was "a centrist document that preserves what we cherish and protects our financial integrity."

Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam said the budget was "dramatically amended" from its original form.

During the final hours of the budget debate, council approved spending more than $3 million to hire dozens of new firefighters, a decision Ford said was the only compromise he would support.

But not all council members were pleased to see backtracking on the prior recommendation to reduce the number of firefighters.

Coun. Doug Holyday, the deputy mayor, was angered by the decision to reverse the planned cuts.

"I just find it very disturbing that we’re making management decisions here based on how many firefighters' union members show up here in council and put pressure on councillors," Holyday said Wednesday.

Holyday told councillors that if they can't make decisions without bowing to pressure from unions and special interests, they should find another line of work.

Prior to Wednesday’s council meeting, Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong said he believed that most members of the public and council would agree if the city had $3 million available to hire more employees "their first priority wouldn’t be firefighters."

Debate on the budget began on Tuesday, when members of council approved a two-per cent property tax hike — and turned down several alternate proposals, including one from Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti for a zero increase.

Asked Wednesday about his feelings on council's approval of raising property taxes by two per cent, the mayor suggested it wasn’t his first choice.

"I don't like raising taxes, but we’re going to hold the line, less than the rate of inflation," Ford said, when speaking with reporters earlier on Wednesday morning.