UPDATED Wednesday, September 5, 2012--4:30p.m.
MADISON--Mayor Soglin says there's about a $10 million gap in the operating budget. Still -- he says the city will never operate at a deficit--and that they'll be presenting a balanced budget to the city council for operations in about a month.

In the meantime, he's asked city agencies to look for ways to cut back.
He's asked them to present a budget with five percent reductions.
Soglin says that may lead to alternative options for each agency.
He admits five percent is a big reduction in services, and says he'll be able to say more in 30 days.

The mayor also highlighted parts of the 2013 capital budget. "For those who are looking for this budget to reflect my own priorities, I'm sad to say that that's minimal," said Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. "That's minimal because we don't have a lot of flexibility given the inherited levels of debt service."

The mayor does say that in this budget you'll find a commitment to community and neighborhood centers which did not appear in the past. He also says you'll find a commitment to work on a public market.

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Wednesday, September 5, 2012--3:30p.m.

MADISON--Madison Mayor Paul Soglin is talking about the 2013 budget--and you might be feeling the pinch sometime soon.

The Mayor tells us there's about a $10 million gap in the operating budget. Soglin says the city will never operate at a deficit--and that they'll be presenting a balanced budget to the city council for operations in about 30 days. In the meantime, he's asked city agencies to look for ways to cut back. "I asked them to present a budget with five percent reductions and that in turn may lead to alternative options for each agency," he said.

Soglin says five percent is a significant reduction in services, and adds that he'll be able to say more in 30 days.