.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Relief was in the air last week as the Des Moines City Council approved major budget decisions.

Considering the volatility of the economic climate right now, it’s somewhat surprising that the council took on not one, but two years at a time. “City revenues and expenditures were forecast for a two-year period, and sufficient balancing actions are proposed to achieve a balanced budget through fiscal year 2011-12,” it says in Council Communication 10-107.

Let’s hope we don’t run into any surprises big enough to derail that plan.

One task remains to be completed. City Manager Rick Clark is in charge of figuring out how to save another $1.4 million in salary and benefit changes.

Jeff Riese, president of the Polk-Des Moines Taxpayers Association, was there to give his blessing to the plan. It’s good that you looked for better ways to provide services, he said, rather than relying on across-the-board cuts.

Council members mentioned that they thought the task was impossible when the budget process began, but boasted about accomplishing it without raising taxes.

Although not everybody was completely satisfied.

“I was disappointed that the mayor and council haven’t taken a harder look at our own budget,” said council member Chris Hensley.

And council member Bob Mahaffey suggested that some city employees who got nice raises in good times could have been more cooperative when the economy turned sour.

Now for the future. Riese pointed out that generous benefits are going to become harder to justify to the public, and brought up the perennial suggestion of taxing the city’s tax-exempt properties.

Hensley noted that the council needs some legislative help there.

The best thing about a two-year breathing space would be using it to take on and resolve issues like those.