The city budget has been set and we are on our way into fiscal year 2012 with strong support for essential services such as police, fire protection, and all the other things that make our community safe and a desirable place to live and work in.

It is comforting to know that no significant cuts in services will be implemented, even though a portion of the $169.7 million budget will be raised by increasing certain fees and fines, primarily through ticketing and parking infraction revenues.

This will doubtlessly rub a number of people the wrong way. Some will wonder why the burden should fall on motorists specifically. In a perfect world we would all equally share the responsibility of shouldering the costs of maintaining our city’s financial wellbeing, drivers and non-drivers alike.

The hard reality that a solution to the budgetary shortfall, no matter how imperfect, must be arrived at and fully adopted is inescapable. Our city leaders, faced with this challenge, made a decision which, while not necessarily to everyone’s liking, should achieve the desired result nonetheless.

The books will be balanced, and the bills will be paid. And maybe in the process a few of us will become a bit more conscientious in our driving and parking practices. At least we have that to look forward to.