Crawfordsville City Councilman Dennis Cook looked at Fire Chief Eric Small and asked a very difficult question during a budget workshop on Tuesday night at the Council Chambers.

“If we told you that you had to cut something, what would it be?” Cook asked Small.

For about 30 minutes, Small presented his 2009 budget to Mayor Charlie Coons and the City Council, pleading for three more firefighters to bring his department up to minimum safety codes. Small’s proposed 2009 budget of $3,034,739 was more than $200,000 above the 2008 budget.

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