It’s 15 months too late, but who’s keeping score? I just hope none of the council members who approved the 2008-09 budget have to use a library, call 311 or visit a rec center next year. Then they’d be in the same bind the rest of us will be in. You can read about the council treading the path of fiscal responsibility here and here. Sadly, I still don’t think most of them realize they could have prevented much of this by paying attention during last year’s budget debate.

My favorite part of yesterday’s discussion? Oak Cliff’s Dave Neumann, who didn’t want to be seen in public with East Dallas’ Angela Hunt two years ago during the Trinity debate, praising her for her budget efforts. And was that really Preston Hollow’s Mitch Rasansky, whose support for the toll road was a key in defeating the referendum, proposing to cut 8 of the 15 staffers who are working on the entire Trinity project? Which will happen, I think, about the same time I get invited to lunch with the mayor and city manager.

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The final two town hall budget meetings are next week. I’ll have a post Friday with questions to ask if you go. But, first and foremost, I expect to see the council members accept cuts to their office budgets, at least as much as the overall budget cuts. And I also expect them to have their pay furloughed just like every other city employee.