As this year comes to a close, it is not a surprise possible deficits and revenue shortages are looming - at the federal, state and local levels of government.

With city council elections on Tuesday, it’s encouraging to see the four East Lansing candidates recognize the importance of watching the city’s money.

All indications point to a shrinking budget following the economic slowdown, and it would be unfortunate if the only actions taken are raising fees - such as the $5 increase in city parking fines last year.

Charging higher fines and fees doesn’t help city relationships with students, and will lead to fewer people visiting East Lansing’s downtown.

Instead, the two candidates who are elected Tuesday, along with the rest of the city council and other officials, will have to think smarter with the budget. For instance, in a wise move, the council was able donate $20,000 to the Ranney Skate Parkin Lansing by taking money from the mayor’s and city council’s personal fund.

The council needs to monitor spending before deciding where to distribute it. There is not going to be enough money to do everything the council members want to do, and its good to see officials realize that.

We can’t forget the $500,000 ongoing subsidy needed for the Hannah Community Center, scheduled to open in December, will not make budget balancing any easier.

If the four city council candidates are an indication, there is a bright spot in East Lansing. The budget is recognized as a major issue and all candidates seem to have ideas on how to balance it with the least impact on essential city services.

Solely raising fees and fines is not only bad for the budget, the logic doesn’t add up.