Budgetary post mortem

By JOHN McCALLUM

Editor

Solving Cheney’s budget dilemma required a variety of approaches and maneuvers, most of which seem to have had one common denominator – a little bit of pain. It’s pain city officials hope is kept internal through increased staff duties here, putting off purchases there, and not extended outside the confines of government buildings to a reduction in services for its citizens in order to balance its $23.3 million 2013 budget.

Call it what you want – hole, gap, separation – the city entered the budgeting season facing an estimated $700,000 decrease in state revenue from ta...