We approve of the proactive approach the city of Albert Lea is taking to fund future needs by creating budget categories for storm drainage and public lighting.

The purpose of these categories is to have money to pay for upgrading the present storm water drainage system &045; dating back to the 1950s &045; and the replacement, maintenance, improvement or addition to city street lights.

During a time of tight budgets, this may seem like an unnecessary move, but a city on the edge of anticipated growth, really has no choice. And make no mistake, Albert Lea is a city on the edge of great things.

While governments often rob Peter to pay Paul, most novice economists know this to be poor fiscal management. Putting off projects until there may be money to rob Peter to pay Paul is also recognized as less than efficient and certainly not a good option for managing our city’s utility upgrades.

In addition, paying for increased street sweeping which will be paid from the storm sewer funds, will provide a more ecological-friendly environment by keeping harmful debris from eventually entering our lakes. While extra street sweeping may seem like a luxury, think about the funding being sought by the Shell Rock River Watershed Board to clean up the lakes, at the request of local residents.

There’s really no need to explain that additional lighting will lead to enhanced community safety.

The new budget categories are only proposals at this point; residents may provide their input at a public hearing Sept. 13. Typically, creation of such categories doesn’t mean much to most of us

&045; it doesn’t result in higher taxes. For now, money may be pulled from another budget category to start a “kitty” toward future expenditures. What it might mean down the road is a slight increase of fees for some city services.

One could liken these new budget categories to buying insurance. We buy insurance on the chance something might go wrong. In the city’s case, there’s no doubt street lights will need repair or replacement &045; it’s simply a matter of when. Often, repairs don’t wait until money is available. Rather, they break when we are least capable of financing the repairs.

Perhaps we’ve painted the scenario more simply than it actually is &045; city decisions are complex. We often expect council members to peek into the future and predict things that will negatively affect their present decisions. They can’t predict the future any better than you or I. However, they can’t go wrong if they are financially prepared to pay for certain expenses.