<hr /></p><p></p><p>As neighboring cities such as Kansas City, Lee’s Summit and Overland Park, Kan., pare city services in response to budget shortfalls - most notably snow removal - Belton and Raymore are stubbornly holding to their philosophies that it’s quite all right to go over budget in this one area.</p><p>In fact, city staffers in both municipalities said this week, that’s precisely what the general fund reserve is for. Belton’s reserve fund makes up 15 percent of its total city budget, while Raymore’s exceeds 20 percent.</p><p>Though frustrated residents in both cities can point to streets that may not have been cleared to their satisfaction, we believe those circumstances are much more a function of the extraordinary nature of this weather pattern than any flaw in the pattern or process of street plowing.</p><p>Add to that the excess overtime both cities’ small crews have been devoting to the never-ending task of making our streets passable, occasional mistakes aren’t unexpected – especially when residents may be forced to park in the streets in order to even have access to their vehicles.</p><p>Compared with neighboring cities, Belton and Raymore streets are in excellent shape for the pounding they have taken during this early winter. City leaders are absolutely correct in naming this an “untouchable” item in the city budget. There are plenty of other areas that could be shaved if necessary. Areas that affect only a portion of the population are particularly vulnerable in this difficult financial time.</p><p>But street clearing affects all of us – our abilities to make a living, to shop for necessities and to remain as safe as possible while doing so. So while we may not be in the mood to applaud Mother Nature these days, we should have no problem applauding city leaders and work crews for their dedication to softening the blow as much as possible.