I'll have my budget scrambled, please -- and can you hold the brinksmanship?

Top Ten Ways to Close the Budget Shortfall

10 Make all them fancy downtown bars and restaurants go away, at least until they put a damn cheeseburger on the menu

9 Open Air Museum triples price for yearly visitations, with pass outs no longer allowed

8 Laid-off policemen and firemen to set up coffee can toll booths at major approaches

7 Sell by-the-day tent space on the lawn of CM Price’s rental properties

6 Ron Craig auctions Historical Preservation Commission on Ebay, graciously kicks back 10% of proceeds

5 Get rid of all that fancy, expensive new fire equipment, just use the old ones sitting there in that nasty old Coyle building

4 My cousin Vinnie agrees to be narcotics cop at half the going rate

3 Kick off inspirational “How Low Can We Go” propaganda campaign, with Dan Coffey as namesake chairman

2 All councilwomen agree to drive a hybrid Lexus until the crunch eases

1 Bring back the Asian health spa for downtown stress relief

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Indeed, living NA-style means the next crisis is never very far away.

New Albany City Council says no to plan to balance budget; City primed to being 2011 with a near $3.7 million deficit, by Daniel Suddeath (News & Tribune)

... Council members Diane McCartin-Benedetti, Dan Coffey, Steve Price, Kevin Zurschmiede and Jeff Gahan voted against the EDIT appropriation. The latest proposal — which entailed using multiple boards and funds to shift money to cover the shortfall — called for proceeds from a 2008 revenue bond to be used to pay backthe EDIT account for the $1.7 million expenditure.