An unusual combination of votes were gathered Monday night to win approval of Republican Don Jepsen's suggested $500 thousand reduction in funding requested by the board of education.
While Republican council members voted together, two majority party members' votes were needed to pass the cut.
Those votes came from Mayor Don Trinks and Bill Herzfeld, who both said they were supporting the cut in an effort to ensure the budget passes in its second try at referendum in June.
Despite calling Jepsen's proposal "a bad motion," Herzfeld compared the vote to another he made in years passed after feeling his "arm was twisted."
"I'm a pragmatist. We need to move forward," Herzfeld said, adding that council members, who cast thousands of votes, but "I'm going to remember two votes."
"I'll remember this one," he said.
Mayor Trinks said his support for the cuts is based on a response to what he thinks voters were saying with their rejection on the budget.
"Our job is to respond to the 14 percent that did (vote). If you're wondering, I am going to support a reduction to the board of education," Trinks said.
"I'm doing this because we need to pass a budget that will pass (a referendum vote). We need the referendum not to fail because, and please do not quote Councilor Jepsen or I as threatening, but if it doesn't pass, the next cuts will be very deep.
Democrats Randy McKenney, Jody Terranova and Al Simon voted against the cut.
Independent Lisa Boccia voted against it as well.
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