Luxury things are nice once in a while, but sometimes we have to go without our wants and stick with our needs. It’s the responsible thing to do when times get tough, whether it’s in our personal lives, running a business or in government.

And it’s especially important in a weak economy, which is certainly the case now.

On Monday, however, the Austin City Council approved a luxury item when it voted 4-2 to advance partial funding for a water playground known as a splash pad at the Austin Municipal Pool.

With the move, Austin’s parks and recreation department can now break ground on the pad this year instead of waiting for a $150,000 Hormel Foundation grant to be paid out in four payments through 2012.

As reported by the Herald’s Rachel Drewelow, parks and recreation asked the Hormel Foundation to advance some of the payments and the city to lend the remainder because the project could not be parceled out to match the grant’s timelines.

With Monday’s vote, the city will now lend parks and rec $30,000 for the project, funds that will be repaid to the city by the Hormel Foundation in 2012.

The Austin Municipal Pool is an asset to Austin and is a great attraction for families on a hot summer day. A splash pad would only enhance the quality of the pool and would be a worthwhile project if the funds were available.

The funds, under the original plan, were approved by the Hormel Foundation, but were not entirely available until 2012.

As a result, the right move, especially in a recession, is to vote down the item and go without the pad for a couple of years.

We agree with council members Brian McAlister and Marion Clennon, who voted against it, and hope that when it comes to future decisions, the council remembers that in tough times, we have to bypass our wants and stay focused on our needs.