(UPDATED 7:36 p.m.)—Councilman Carl Stokes—a vote in favor of cuts to the mayor’s proposed $2.8 billion budget—missed Thursday’s committee vote.

The Committee of the Whole voted to reject a plan to cut $6.1 million from the budget supporters argue would allow the mayor to fund priorites, such as preventing the closure of three firehouses and increase funding for after-school programs. 

Even if Stokes' was able to make the meeting his vote would not have been enough to stop the mayor's council allies from rejecting the amendments, and passing the budget on to be considered by the full City Council. 

The amendments were defeated by a 9-5 vote and the committee approved the mayor's budget by the same margin.    

Earlier in the day, a spokesman for Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young expressed confident council members would not vote to defeat the amendments.

But Councilman James Kraft and Councilman Nick Mosby, who had previously voted for the amendments, each sided against the amendments on Thursday, and in favor of the mayor's budget. 

Follow North Baltimore Patch on Facebook and Twitter.