The City Council is proposing a balanced budget for 2008; according to them. Let's see if you agree using your own household budget for comparison. Perhaps you believe that your budget is balanced on a yearly basis if the money spent is less than or equal to your income. The Council Majority does not.

If you take money from one household set-a-aside and use it for another purpose, are you balanced if the total expenses are still less than your income? Probably so because you made a necessary adjustment. Is it acceptable for the City to take money from say the Storm Water fees to pay for a building to store the winter salt pile supply? They did it in the past and are again. The fees were imposed for a specific purpose; not a public works building.

If you take money from your savings account to meet expenses because your income is less than expected or you had an unanticipated expense, are you balanced. No. The City believes that using money left over from the previous year is acceptable, just because its income won't cover expenses.

If you need some money from relatives in order to pay your bills, do you believe that you have a balanced budget? Of course not, especially if you are not expected to pay it back. The City believes that having the urban renewal authority ($120K) and a federal CDBG grant ($100K) pay some of its existing salaries expenses don't unbalance the budget.

Last Thursday I watched some members of the Council quickly jot down the following comment about the 2008 budget, "The budget is balanced and balanced in every fund." Evidentially, getting a relative to pay some of your bills, digging into your savings account and using money from one fund to subsidize another still means that your household is balanced and in good shape.

Lastly, did you know that the overdue Huron St. project has been cancelled due to a lack of money indefinitely? They will fix the encroachment of Croke reservoir under Huron and then do a bang up job with the area immediately around the reservoir with some grants and city funds. As far as Huron St. goes, it will get fixed only after you approve a tax extension in November of next year.