A scrappy meeting surrounding Prince Edward Counties Economic Development department yesterday. Prince Edward’s Economic Development Officer Dan Taylor said 640 new jobs in small business and tourism had been created over the past 10 years, and the value of property had doubled over the same period, in part because of his department’s emphasis on the tourist and creative economy. He was asking for 63 thousand dollars to be added to an 877 thousand dollar budget to concentrate on attracting new “green” businesses. Councillor’s McDonald and Latchford, among others, questioned his rosy outlook, saying Statscan figures showed weakness in the local economy, and that he wasn’t producing enough quality jobs… they suggested his budget be cut by 250 thousand dollars. Others, like Councillor’s Gale and Alyea, and Mayor Finnegan, supported the department’s work and vision. In the end, there were two votes to cut the budget, both failed. The budget debate continues on Friday.