Your Wednesday Budget Update

The bodies are starting to mount a little bit, after Mayor Lisa Wong outlined some of the cuts in the upcoming budget. Up to 12 firefighters and a half-dozen police jobs are on the line, and it could get worse.

Tonight is a big night for the budget, with a public hearing on the trash fee proposal (6 p.m., library auditorium). There isn't a ton of public support, it seems, but it will be interesting to see the depth of the animosity toward the fee. Will folks be motivated enough to show up and voice their disapproval, or will they merely grumble about it semi-privately? It should be an interesting evening.

Wong said last night if the trash fee doesn't happen, another $1 million will have to come out of the budget, with likely three more cops gone. Is that political hysteria, or are those things Wong would really, really like to keep in the budget, but needs the extra money to do so? That may be in the eye of the beholder, and might shape tonight's discussion.

Councilors don't seem especially warm to the trash fee cause, so the volume tonight could play a role in the final decision. I don't think many councilors would need a big shove to vote against, so a loud showing tonight might sway some votes.