Light weekend reading? Check out the budget

Livingston posted its proposed 2008/2009 budget online today.

At 577 pages and 15 MB, it's one of the more thorough budgets I've seen, touching on the national, state and local economies as it outlines where and how taxpayer money will be spent.

The city has even won an award in 2007 for its great appearance. (Too bad there's no cash prize that goes with that, as the city, like others, is hard up for money.)

It's worth checking out, if for nothing else, to see the vintage photos sprinkled in each chapter.

I've only begun to pore through the year's financial breakdown and will spend many more hours with it.

The City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Aug. 5 to hammer out any changes to it and listen to citizen concerns about where the money's being spent.