Council: Budgets and the art of french fry cookery.

At the behest of president Dan Coffey, 2nd district councilman Bob Caesar kicked off last evening's special council session by advocating as cure for the city's budget problems the sort of systems procedures that would mimic those put into place by the late McDonald's mogul Ray Kroc. The result for New Albany, as for McDonald's, would be grease temps, portion control, and consistent fries every single time.

That's really all you need to know.

Really. Fries.

The participants repeated their standard council speeches word for word, not a soul from City Hall was in sight, a handful of vapid pieties were dispensed, future candidates preened and postured, former council representative Schmidt attended (and so did her husband), ex-Mayor James Garner kicked off his next electoral campaign with an explnatory appearance, and to their credit, a good number of the council persons appeared at the Block Party afterward -- not Coffey, and not Steve Price, but you already knew that.

As for the details, Daniel Suddeath's piece in today's Trib will be linked below as soon as it appears, or as soon as I care -- whichever comes after lunch.

Confusion mounts over past loans, city’s financial obligations