VANCOUVER -- Vancouver city councillors met virtually Tuesday morning and the majority of the agenda related to issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Councillors were expected to discuss extending the property tax deadline from July to September, a temporary solution brought up earlier this month.

The majority of the city’s revenue comes from property taxes, which brought in $874 million last year.

A motion from Mayor Kennedy Stewart was also expected to come to the floor.

Stewart is requesting to take a temporary pay cut in an effort to lessen the city's ongoing financial pressures. 

The mayor makes $174,258 a year, but has asked that to be reduced by 10 per cent.

That’s in line with the pay cuts city managers and other non-unionized workers have taken.

Stewart has warned that the city is at risk of bankruptcy and has asked the province for a $200-million bailout.

Coun. Melissa De Genova also put a motion forward asking the city to amend its single-room occupancy bylaws.

Vancouver has more than 170 of these types of accomodations, many of which are privately owned.

The city hired professional cleaners for them when the pandemic began.

BC Housing agreed to foot the bill for two weeks, but has not promised to continue paying.

De Genova argues that the private landlords should be paying their own bills, as they make a profit from rent.

“The City of Vancouver does not typically fund the cleaning of privately owned residences or establishments and the Standards of Maintenance Bylaw requires cleaning at the expense of the owner,” reads De Genova’s motion.

SROs typically house the city’s most vulnerable and marginalized people, who are also at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

The councillor stressed that their safety remains her top priority.

A motion was also expected from Coun. Jean Swanson.

Hers urges council to put pressure on the provincial government to acquire more hotel rooms to house all of the city’s homeless.

The province has secured 1,700 hotel and community centre spaces so far.

The spaces are meant for people living in large tent cities, including Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver as well as Topaz Park and Pandora Avenue in Victoria.

The province will be using its powers under the declared state of emergency to relocate everyone out of encampments by May 9.