The new council and city manager have been working overtime during recent weeks to, among other duties, (1) establish the principles of the council-manager form of government and (2) prepare for major surgery on a 2010 budget that the 2009 council revised at an amount that it should have known was unsustainable and a threat to the city’s solvency. Sure enough, a few weeks into January, the city was forced to borrow from the water fund just to pay an insurance bill.

After approving the “loan,” the council initiated the painful task of figuring out how to trim $2 million from the budget over the next two years so that critical reserve funds can be established to ensure the city operates in the black. There’s no doubt that jobs will be lost and programs reduced, which is a grave undertaking for a group – three of which are new – that is just getting to know each other. There are no easy answers here.

Still, the council’s performance reviews, so far, are good. In fact, interim City Manager Lee Walton, a veteran “fixer” of such situations, gave the council a B+ when asked how it was doing at the conclusion of Wednesday’s business meeting. What’s most promising is the openness and reciprocity being demonstrated by council members as they work toward making decisions that are best for the community as a whole.

It appears this council doesn’t have a fixed agenda, other than the desire to work together to improve the city’s finances and represent the community to the best of its ability. It’s early in the process, but the work study sessions that have been established and the general spirit of this council are encouraging.