The City of Ottawa should commit an extra $15 million to a massive expansion of city's downtown convention centre, the city's corporate services committee has recommended.

Councillors on the committee voted unanimously Monday to boost the city's contribution to the Ottawa Congress Centre expansion from $25 million to $40 million.

The decision must still be approved by full city council.

The expansion, which is now expected to cost $180 million, would triple the size of the venue to attract larger meetings.

On Friday, the federal and provincial governments hiked their commitments to the project to $50 million each, up from $30 million each.

At the time, Congress Centre chairman Jim Durrell said a boost in the city's contribution to $40 million was crucial.

The rest of the funding for the expansion is to be raised from the private sector.

Mayor Larry O'Brien said the extra money for the Congress Centre expansion will not come from the funds set aside for the city's proposed new concert hall.

The concert hall has until Nov. 30 to get the private funding it needs or the city may pull its $6.1 million contribution to the project.