URBANA — Now that the Champaign City Council has ended talks on imposing a new 4 percent tax on package liquor, the proposal has lost momentum in Urbana, Mayor Laurel Prussing said on Wednesday.

"I don't think Urbana would do it unless Champaign does it," Prussing said.

The two cities had been moving in that direction during the past few weeks, but city council members in Champaign reversed their position on the tax Tuesday night. A unanimous vote against the tax in Champaign may also have meant the end of the proposal in Urbana.

But as both cities deal with strained budgets, the question of where to find new revenues has yet to be answered.

The Champaign City Council in July will discuss where the city might find more money to pay for, in particular, three jobs at the police department's front desk that council members have voted to restore. Council members could also choose to go back to their original plan of eliminating the jobs.

Likewise, Urbana City Council will need to find money to deal with rising employee costs, Prussing said.

"We're going to have to look at some other things because we're going to have a big budget gap when we're done with our arbitration," Prussing said.

Prussing declined to say what specific taxes or fees could be increased or created, but she said she will not seek a property tax hike.