The St. Joseph City Council met Monday with a full agenda.

Two of the biggest items on the council's plate were the approval of the city budget for fiscal 2009/2010, and establishing the downtown TIF proposal that would bring an entertainment district and numerous improvements to a 113 acre area of downtown.

With little discussion, the budget issue was passed.however the TIF question was tabled.

Three of the city councilmen abstained from voting and left the meeting because they have businesses or interests in the TIF area. Also, Councilman, Mike Bozarth was absent from the meeting. That meant it would only have taken one no vote to send the tax increment financing question down to defeat.

Councilwoman Barbara LaBass told New Press reporters afterward that she would have voted no.

The city plans to activate the TIF in four stages. The first would establish an entertainment district at an estimated cost of $25 million. The district will extend from Fifth Street to Ninth Street with Felix Street at its core, but it will reach north and south to include properties such as the Missouri Theater.

The second stage would create a convention area west of the entertainment district, with a hotel and a new convention center. The third and fourth stages would focus on development in the areas north and south of the entertainment district, east of the convention area.

During the budget discussion, several members of the City Employees United organization addressed the council several times questioning expenditures for everything from the YMCA elevator, to city mechanic wages. The group is asking the council to rein in their spending and not make any additional city hires until current city employees are taken care of.

The council also approved the contract with Museums Inc. that will okay a $400,000 contract with the group with 25% of that amount going to the museum at the Wyeth-Tootle mansion on museum hill.

Marshall White and Clinton Thomas of the St. Joseph News Press contributed to this story.