CANTON — Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood has vetoed a budget amendment that would strip the funding for his executive assistant.

The Canton City Council will vote again on the amendment at a specially called meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Hobgood vetoed the budget amendment Sunday, the last day of the 10-day veto period. Per the city’s charter, a mayoral veto pushes the issue to an additional council vote.

The council voted 5-1 to remove funding for the executive assistant position at a Jan. 17 council meeting. Council Member Glen Cummins cast the dissenting vote.

The budget amendment calls for $33,000 to be removed from the city’s budget for salaries and wages and to be placed in a contingency fund.

In a written explanation of the veto, Hobgood contends that the budget amendment does not arise from financial need, it was made in bad faith and was created with “a lack of transparency and openness.”

When the mayor vetoes an ordinance, Canton’s city charter calls for the city council to vote at the next scheduled council meeting after the veto.

If the next scheduled meeting is a work session, the charter calls for a special meeting to vote on the ordinance. The council is holding a work session at 4 p.m. Thursday to hear an update on the Unified Development Code.

In December, the council voted to remove the mayor’s ability to hire staff members. Hobgood vetoed this ordinance, and council members voted 5-1 on Jan. 3 to uphold their vote, with Cummins dissenting.