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If we are going to close the 2003 budget gap, we are going to have to look at the additional personnel services that are being requested. Attached is a personnel services page which shows the new positions and additional work hours that are still in the 2003 budget proposal. It may not seem like we are adding many staff hours or positions, but we need to remember that included in the 2003 budget are expenses for positions that were unbudgeted but added in 2002. These positions include the Information Technology position, the Environmental Assistant position, and increasing a Recreation Programmer position from half time to full- time. These additional expenses that were not in the 2002 budget are slightly offset by the elimination of the Drug Officer position that was in the 2002 budget, but which is no longer in the 2003 budget. In reference to the attached personnel services page, I think that the most vulnerable positions are the Truck Enforcement Officer ($23,250) and the Cable TV Assistant position ($17,300). Next in line would be the Police Secretary/Receptionist ($8,150), reducing the Recreation Building Supervisor ($9,000), and elimination of the Fire Specialist position ($9,900). The above five changes in personnel services equals $67,600. 1 am not necessarily recommending that all of the requested personnel noted in the above paragraph be eliminated, but I do think that some of them have to be eliminated in order to achieve a balanced budget. You need to know that if there are no additional hours for the Cable TV program, then we will simply be maintaining our existing system and not expanding programs. Also, if the Lions Park Center is used to the extent that we hope, then we will be short on hours that will be needed to supervise this facility during the evenings. The Fire Prevention Specialist is also a very desirable position and any hours that can be dedicated to this program will be beneficial. Another item to consider in trying to balance the 2003 budget is the capital outlay item that remains in the general fund budget. Attached are proposed capital outlay expenditures for 2003. (Also attached is the 2002 capital outlay page for comparison purposes.) Most of the Voice Playall System expense in the general fund could be eliminated and not purchased or this item could be approved and moved to equipment reserves. However,if there are no capital outlay expenses in the general fund budget in 2003, it makes it difficult to have$50,000 or so of capital expenses in the general fund in 2004. I don't believe it is a good practice to not have any capital outlay expenditures in the annual general fund operating budget. Another note regarding the items on the capital outlay page is the Truck Enforcement expenditure in the amount of$57,200. If the Truck Enforcement position is eliminated then this expense is also eliminated. However, if this equipment and truck are eliminated, then the Police Department would like to add another marked squad. Even with this additional squad, the equipment certificate amount would go down by $27,400, which would bring the total expenditure for equipment certificates to just under $330,000. I have already gone through the initial budget requests and made over$40,000 in reductions in various departmental line items so it will be hard to "sharpen the pencil" much more. Nonetheless, there was a sheet distributed on August 26, 2002, that was tided "Last resort budget options" so everyone should know that we can make cuts into some programs. Asking me to identify another $5,000 or so in reduction would not be too difficult. However, finding another $10,000 in cuts would lead me to start looking at: the $10,000 Arts Contribution, the $9,000 tree coupon program, the $95,000 street overlay/seal coating program, the $5,000 optical imaging contract for Police, the $10,000 snow removal contractual service program,