Budget Process Begins in Solon

The Solon administration will present estimated revenue for 2011 tonight as city council begins holding hearings on the annual budget.

The hearing will begin at 5 p.m. at city hall. A second budget hearing is scheduled for next Monday, and a third one could be held during the finance committee meeting on Feb. 16.

The budget must be approved by the city council by the end of March, said Mayor Susan Drucker.

During the hearings, the departments will present their budget requests, and the goal is to balance out the expenditures with the revenue estimates.

Drucker said the administration will have more details on the budget plan tonight, but that she expects the spending plan to be constrained.

"Even if the economy begins to shift in a good direction for us, I still think you have to be conservative and lean," Drucker said. "I don’t like fat in the budget. I really want to try to get as close to the dollar as I can because I believe it’s our responsibility to say what you actually need to run a city."