By BARBARA GREEN

Bowie city council members spent three and a half hours Tuesday night in their first budget workshop reviewing figures, data and explanations about where the city budget may be heading for the next fiscal year.

Mayor Larry Slack told the group there will certainly be some tough decisions due to some major infrastructure problems that need to be addressed.

“We will have to see if we can work it in the budget or do something else. We need to let the staff know a direction,” said the mayor.

Department heads received a memo directing them to return their department requests to the city manager by June 15 in order to prepare the budget proposal by July 15, as required by the city charter.

Slack told the council he expects a difficult budget year so he wants the council to have all the time and information it needs to make decisions.

The pressing infrastructure problems came to the forefront this week as heavy rain filled runoff drains, especially in the flow that runs from State Highway 59 near Allsup’s east to Kiwanis Park and then toward Lamb, Rock and Patterson.

Read the full story in the weekend News.

Pictured: Heavy rains continue to cause deterioration in an aging drainage system that serves a large residential area in Bowie. This portion of Lamb Street at Nelson has been closed due to collapse of the street at the culvert. (Photo by Barbara Green)