Someone gets it

When you talk about cutting the budget (any political budget) one always hears the moans and groans about how all these vital programs will get cut, and sick old ladies will get thrown out onto the street, your son won't be able to run track because that's bee cut, and so forth.
When I read this it was a real breath of fresh air.

To hear the bureaus tell it, police would no longer have an officer assigned to public schools, grime would collect on downtown streets, fire stations would close, street lights would go dark and more 9-1-1- callers would be put on hold if the City Council went through with its plan to find major cuts in the city's spending.

Yet City Council members don't believe the fiscal sky is falling -- at least not to the degree suggested in the bureaus' budget proposals filed last week and Monday. Yes, City Council members have said they want to cut $8 million, or about 3 percent, from services in the general fund budget in 2005-06. Yes, Potter has said he's serious about rethinking the role of city government, and shrinking it if necessary.

But so far, commissioners aren't convinced bureau leaders have looked under every sofa cushion and behind every manager's office door for savings.

Commissioner Randy Leonard said the suggested trims he's seen were offered "to scare the citizenry." Commissioner Sam Adams said he's seen too many "Washington Monument" cuts -- slashes to services the City Council can't possibly make without huge public outcry.

"I'm seeing too many proposals that call for cutting programs rather than cutting management," he said. "That's not acceptable."

Finally someone gets it.