To an outsider, flowers being displayed throughout a city's downtown area may not be that big of a deal.

In Austin, it couldn't be further from the truth.

Thanks to the generosity of local residents and businesses, the city's annual flower program will continue again this year.

The program faced an uncertain future, as many city officials and council members are expecting Austin's Local Government Aid allocation to be cut somewhat. There's no idea how much LGA would be trimmed, or if it will even happen at all. But the council decided to take a fiscally prudent move toward cutting back public funds on the program.

It's great to see the generosity of local residents and businesses coming through as a result. It will also be encouraging if local service groups could help out on the maintenance end -- if it's legally feasible. The city said it needs to check and see if volunteers can operate city-owned equipment.

The flowers are a nice touch to our city. However, we encourage more volunteers and donors to become involved until this state's budget crisis is solved.