LEWISTON – City staff applauded councilors for finding ways to trim more than $660,000 from their spending plan for next year.

Councilors wrapped up a wide range of items at their regular meeting Tuesday, all part of adopting their fiscal year 2009-10 budget.

That included adopting the capital improvement plan, the $43.8 million municipal budget and approving $44.8 million in property taxes for the city and schools. It also included adopting budgets for the water, sewer and storm-water utilities and putting aside $148,000 for busing and textbooks for parochial school students.

Councilors began working on the budget in February, starting with a proposed $44.4 million. They managed to whittle that down to $43.8 million in municipal spending.

City Administrator Jim Bennett said they should be proud.

“It was probably one of the most difficult budgets to get through, but the net results are positive,” Bennett said. “There are no new taxes, no new fees and no real impacts on services. We reached it without having layoffs.”

Budget moves included delaying the hiring date for a new police chief and eliminating a Public Works position. Other budget savers include not purchasing upgrades for some equipment, limiting printing and postage in some departments and reducing wages for temporary employees.

The city will spend $2.3 million from fund balances to help pave roads.

Councilors also agreed to consider a new policy to pay down the city’s debt. Borrowing each year would be limited to 97 percent of the average debt paid off over the past three years. It’s an idea that came from the city’s Finance Committee, said Councilor Robert Reed.

Councilors will discuss it at a future workshop.