Preparing for the worst

Published 10:20 am Wednesday, March 11, 2009

We all know the situation, and it’s likely to get worse over the next few months. As state legislators figure out how bad our economic situation is, county and city officials are getting a game plan together just in case things turn out as bleak as projected.

In the past two weeks, both the city and the county have released an extensive list of potential budget cuts.

The county’s list includes implementing a four-day work week and increasing burning permit fees, while the city’s list ranges from cutting the Fourth of July festival contribution of $6,000 to eliminating or reducing overtime budgets in certain departments.

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“People just need to understand this is coming,” Austin Mayor Tom Stiehm said of local cuts.

In the past year and perhaps longer, many residents have been forced to reduce their spending whenever possible, whether it’s holding off on buying that new car or eliminating the three time a week morning coffee habit.

Our officials will now be doing the same.

Obviously, the goal should be to cut what we need to cut, while not affecting jobs as much as possible or the public safety of our residents.

It’s also important we aim to keep some of the unique events that make our communities great if at all possible, a goal Stiehm agrees with.

The city is projected to lose more than $500,000 in Local Government Aid in 2009 and more than $1 million in 2010.

With LGA making up more than 50 percent of the city’s nearly $14 million operating budget, obviously these cuts will take its toll.

This is going to be a long, hard process and painful cuts will most likely be made at both the city and county levels.

We are confident however, that we will get through this, and that our communities will continue to be as strong as they are now.