While budget woes can lead to heated debates over government spending, East Lansing city officials are doing a commendable job in trimming the city’s planned expenditures for the next fiscal year.

The city council will vote Tuesday on $695,875 in proposed cuts to the East Lansing budget, which could eliminate police overtime, delay city sidewalk plans and stop the airing of planning commission meetings on cable television.

City officials say the bulk of the cuts are necessary because of a slump in statewide sales revenue. City Manager Ted Staton said he anticipates a dispute over the $45,000 the city pays for planning commission meetings but expects every item on the cut list to be approved.

Televised planning commission meetings are beneficial for community members who may not be able to attend meetings and may prevent overcrowding in the meeting room when controversial issues are on the table, but they are not a vital necessity for community outreach.

It’s true planning commission meetings are important for the city, but city council meetings are where the final decisions are made for the most part and it is right that officials chose to air them over planning forums.

Although budgets cuts are generally not favorable, East Lansing officials have gone about the unwelcome process in a sound and suitable way, trimming the less needed excesses instead of terminating services for residents.

One council member proposed surveying residents before deciding on final cuts for televised meetings.

While it’s important for the city to hear the residents’ voices, a survey of that kind would require more spending in times that call for thrifty measures.

If residents do hold serious concerns about proposed budgets cuts they should contact their council member. It is that representative’s duty to provide insight to the whole panel.

City officials have done an acceptable amount of homework on their proposed cutbacks.

East Lansing leacers informed each city department of the upcoming budget problems and offered suggestions as to what aspects to trim. Staton said the final decision on what to cut was left to individual departments.

It was noble of the city’s leaders not to assume they knew what was best for each department and allow the experts in each field to offer their own solutions.

In this time of economic downturns, government spending across the board must be curbed - from federal to state to city levels. While it’s not the most favorable thing to do, it’s an unavoidable fact of life.

It appears East Lansing leaders have met the economic challenge in the best way they could. They should serve as an example for other lawmakers who find themselves deep in bureaucratic and political debates which solve nothing and lead to unnecessary deficit spending.