Acting mayor Ranj Pillai took dead aim at Mayor Bev Buckway during Monday night's city council meeting.

Pillai said Buckway was acting on sour grapes when she directed city administration to come up with another $60,000 in this year's budget to cover any costs related to council's decision to join a national anti-racism coalition.

The mayor, Pillai said tersely, was fear-mongering, and using a "laughable” approach to justify the additional $60,000, without so much as breathing a word to her council colleagues before leaving on holidays late last month.

After the mayor and other members of city council challenged the wisdom of joining the Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination, city hall became the target of a public backlash.

Many accused council of not wanting to stand up for racial equality.

Signing on with the national coalition, they argued, was above all a public statement that Whitehorse has no room for discrimination.

Lobbyists promised there need not be any cost associated with joining the coalition, if that's the way the city wanted it.

On judgment day, facing a community eagerly awaiting the vote, council unanimously agreed to sign on.

An official ceremony was held as Pillai inked the document on March 21 – the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Buckway was among the members of council who questioned what the membership would cost the city and how much additional work it would place on city staff.

Other municipalities which have joined on, she told her colleagues during the debate early last month, did indeed have to dedicate both time and money toward their participation on the national organization.

City official Robert Fendrick explained last night that during his review of this year's proposed annual budget, the mayor had requested a pot of money be created to cover any expense that may arise from the city's commitment to the coalition.

She suggested it was better to have the money identified in the budget now rather than go fishing around for it later if there was a need, Fendrick explained.

He said the figure of $60,000 was based on what the mayor had learned from other municipalities.

"We have not even talked about this,” Pillai said, going on to accuse the mayor of creating a budget item simply to fear-monger.

He said picking a number out of the air because you've talked to a couple of other mayors is hardly the pinnacle of financial accountability.

"This is one of the most laughable situations I've seen on council,” Pillai said.

Coun. Dave Austin said he took a lot of heat for questioning the membership on the national coalition and what it would cost the city.

Now, a week later, city council is looking at a new line item to finance precisely what he was questioning.

"I will not support this,” Austin said.

Councillors Kirk Cameron and Dave Stockdale also questioned the additional $60,000, with Stockdale suggesting it could be singled out next week when council votes on the proposed 2012 annual operating and maintenance budget.

Coun. Florence Roberts, on the other hand, suggested council was making a big hullabaloo over nothing.

The money would simply sit there as a rainy day account should something come up, she insisted, noting the city doesn't have to spend it.

The amount, Roberts suggested, is indeed a reflection of what other municipalities had spent.

Council is proposing a three per cent property tax hike this year to cover off projected spending of $88.8 million.

Council approved the capital budget of $25.5 million back in December, representing a 21 per cent increase over the capital budget in 2011.

The proposed operating and maintenance budget for this calendar year is $63.4 million, including the $60,000 to cover expenses associated with the membership on the Canadian coalition.

The readjusted O & M budget for 2011 was $63.8 million.