They were dropping like flies at Ottawa council this week as the meeting, expected to end by dinnertime, turned into a 14-hour marathon, blessedly ending just minutes before the clock struck midnight.

Just over half of city council bothered to stay for the entire meeting, which began at 10 a.m. and dealt with everything from social housing to the budget process, from development charges to leaf and yard waste.

The most notable early departure was none other than beleaguered Kitchissippi Coun. Shawn Little, who pocketed $71,000 of taxpayers' money and then took an early exit from council, once again leaving his fellow councillors to keep the business of the city moving without him.

Whether or not the deal council offered Little is a fair one is now irrelevant. Little took it, then showed his utter disdain for the people of Ottawa by leaving.

The $71,000 covers only a small portion of the legal fees he incurred fighting allegations of election misspending.

Little has insisted his ongoing legal battles were like an albatross around his neck, distracting him from his civic duties.

What he found so distracting last night is anybody's guess.

But if Little cared at all to prove his worth to his fellow councillors, many of whom have taken heat from their constituents by supporting the payout, he didn't show it.

Instead, Little let a small group of councillors carry his load, leaving them to stay until midnight to ensure council's quorum wasn't lost.

The day began with three of the 22 city councillors sending their regrets.

Goulbourn Coun. Janet Stavinga, Rideau-Vanier Coun. Georges Bedard and Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Gord Hunter had all earlier indicated they wouldn't be at the council meeting, the only one being held this month.

And slowly but surely, the numbers dwindled further.

City councillors will tell you that they didn't expect the meeting to go as long as it did, that they had commitments they couldn't get out of but -- we repeat -- this was the only full council meeting of the month.

(I wonder how the head honchos at the Sun would feel if I suggested I'd like to stay to cover the marathon meeting, but had made other plans?)

Taxpayers can salute Orleans Coun. Herb Kreling, Innes Coun. Rainer Bloess, Cumberland Coun. Rob Jellett, Alta Vista Coun. Peter Hume, Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans, Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Michel Bellemare, River Coun. Maria McRae, West Carleton Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, Rideau Coun. Glenn Brooks, Osgoode Coun. Doug Thompson, Bay Coun. Alex Cullen, Capital Coun. Clive Doucet, Kanata Coun. Peggy Feltmate and Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli for sticking with the business at hand, even if it meant breaking other commitments.

Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Jacques Legendre managed to stay until almost 11:30 p.m. before bailing.

At 10:30 p.m., the remaining councillors dug right into the contentious issue of leaf and yard waste.

During the city's budget deliberations, council cut summer pickup of leaf and yard waste, saving about $600,000.

But like so many of the decisions they made during the spring, some councillors are unhappy with the ramifications of their decision and are weary of dealing with the angst building in the community.

A motion to reinstate summer pickup saw political adversaries Hume and McRae squaring off, with McRae supporting reinstatement and Hume sounding passionate about so many other more important services that the money could save.

With McRae giving Hume the hairy eyeball as he spoke, and Hume ridiculing her right back for calling for no tax increase back in the spring, yet now asking for $500,000 to be taken out of a dwindling reserve fund, Thompson put an end to the nonsense.

"We have to realize we made a decision and we have to live with it," Thompson said, making more sense than most -- even as council appeared headed for its 15th hour of debate.