It's been a long haul, for the City of Duluth and tonight, Mayor Don Ness presented his proposed 2009 budget to the City Council.
The mayor says his proposal resolves the projected eight-and-a-half million dollar deficit going into next year.

The mayor's two-thousand-nine financial plan is about 81-point-eight million dollars.
That's a one percent increase from 2008.

However, the proposal didn't come without a price.

"There are 37 fewer general fund positions in the 2009 budget than in the 2008 budget," said Duluth Mayor Don Ness.

With the help of city staff reductions, Ness was able to present a balanced 2009 budget.
Here's a few of the big items.

More than 17 million each will go to the Police and Fire Departments.
About four million is set aside for the library.
About two million each is also directed towards Parks and Recreation and Public Works.
Ness says next year's budget is designed to be more economically efficient across all city departments.

"It's our hope that by addressing the budget in this more fundamental way that things will get better in the short term and more importantly in the long term," said Ness.

Ness' proposal also calls for levying about 14-and-a half million in property taxes.
Of that amount, the council could vote to direct another $350,000 to the Fire Department.
The Mayor says that could bring Rig 3 back in service.
The council could also levy another $400,000 for police.

"Should this pass we would also be able to have an additional recruiting class of 12 officers that we would hire," Ness said.

Officials say a person owning a 167-thousand dollar home would pay three dollars more a year in support of the proposed levy.

In other council action, an ordinance proposing to charge residents two-dollars a month for street light service and businesses five was tabled for a later date.

City administrative officials say they're hoping for the council to take action on the measure near the end of this month.