What do you think about government cutting services

One of the discussions we have on the City Council is keeping a high level of services. This however runs opposite to the idea of a balanced budget where we have to cut millions of dollars of expenses.

I am of the belief that under these times we need to have drastic cuts in the budget and therefore services. We might not be able to do as much for Seniors and Youth as we have done in the past. We might need to cut our Community Development and Building staff to levels that match the amount of revenues that support those departments. While police, fire, and public works are the backbone of our mission, we will also have to cut personnel in these areas too to be able to live within our means. Managers might have to be reduced as well. I would rather see more boots on the ground than more managers in the office. We need to cut both!

Please email me at stevemandel@comcast.net to share your thoughts on this question. When you cut the costs of government they will not be able to do as much... What do you think?