Heard in the Hall

The new budget season has officially begun in City Hall.

Various commissioners, as requested by the Nutter administration, are busy compiling memos that detail how they can make their departments more efficient - and trim spending by 3 to 5 percent.

"The point of this was not for them to come back and say 'here is how we are cutting,'" said Finance Director Rob Dubow, "but 'here’s how we can improve things.'"

Some of the memos have already reached his desk, with "some interersting ideas of how to reorganize, how to run things better."

Dubow, though, wouldn't yet say what those ideas are.

To put a finer point on it, Chief of Staff Clay Armbrister said, "I don't view this as a mandate to cut their budgets, and we made it clear we are not looking at any reductions in services."

What are they seeking? "Innovate ways they can do things more efficiently."