At this very moment, the Dallas City Council is being briefed by Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm, chief financial officer Dave Cook and others on the proposed FY2009-1010 budget, which the council will approve on September 23. But before Suhm and Cook took control of the meeting, Mayor Tom Leppert suggested some cuts not yet made -- among them, Jerry Allen's effort to cut council expenditures, to which Angela Hunt added some ideas on July 29. (Suhm did not touch the council's budget -- not even the lube.) Leppert said Ron Natinsky has also suggested "going all-electronic" with regard to council briefing documents. And Leppert mentioned that Linda Koop has proposed reworking boards and commissions, which would "reduce expenditures and staff support." (If the nervous calls Unfair Park has received from concerned citizens are any indication, this suggestion could prove especially controversial in coming weeks.)
Those interested in watching how the sausage is made can watch the briefing live. When council members chime in with their thoughts, we'll update accordingly.