By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDESNBURG -- City council will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. to continue budget talks after voting down an amended budget Monday.

Frustration was evident among councilors as they attempted to close a $600,000 gap with few areas available to trim. Among the failed attempts to cut the budget was a call from David Price and Brian Mitchell to eliminate the filming of the council meetings. It was estimated that would save the city $4,000. But Councilors Jennifer Stevenson, Michael Morley and Daniel Skamperle said they believed the service was worth the cost as it informs the public of what the city council is doing.

Morley and Skamperle also called for leaving two of the four vacancies in the Ogdensburg Police Department empty, but that resolution failed with all other councilors opposed.

After hours of discussion, the council was able to trim the budget by only $20,000 in police overtime.

The budget would have raised taxes by 13.68 percent with a new tax rate of $19.74 per $1,000 of assessed value.

That would represent an increase of $238 for a home assessed at $100,000.

While the council agreed that the increase was not acceptable, nearly all suggestions to cut were met with resistance from other councilors.

Because the council is expected to continue budget talks Wednesday. They have until Dec. 20 to pass a budget.