Open process is good

This has been a tough year for the city council as it tries to put together next year's city budget.

But we have to admire the council for how open they have made the process. Citizens have had a better chance than ever before to see the evolving budget process, and offer comments and suggestions.

Because the city wants to bring salaries up to regional standards, there just isn't a lot of money left for much else. So the decisions on what to fund and what not to fund have become extremely difficult and painful for the council.

After months of work, the process is coming to a close, and the final adjustments will probably be made in the next ten days, so getting those citizen comments and concerns expressed to the council in a timely manner is important.

No one, including the council, is going to be fully satisfied with the final budget. That's just the nature of the beast.

But they should be praised for letting the public know in advance where they were going, for making the process so open.

It's the way government should work.

-- Kelly Everitt