CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Saying there could be dip in city fortunes next year, Mayor Danny Jones urged City Council members to be frugal.

That means ending Regatta, as Jones suggested two weeks ago, and may also mean the city should not help pay for the proposed new downtown library, Jones told members of council's Finance Committee Monday evening.

Charleston's finances tend to avoid the major booms and busts experienced by other parts of the country, Jones said. "But that doesn't mean we don't have an occasional dip. We had one in 2002.

"If we ever have one, it will be next year. I want us to plan and for this to be the year of impecunity, and for us not to do anything - which is why I proposed not renewing Regatta, which is my decision.

"And unless someone comes up with $400,000 [the amount needed to stage the annual event], I'm going to notify vendors at the end of December and tell them to find somewhere else to go next year.

"I think we need to be frugal. That doesn't mean canceling pay raises, but whatever we do needs to be well-reasoned ... be good managers. I think this year is the year to prepare for a downturn and if we don't have one, good, we can add to our rainy day fund."

Jones said he didn't want to pick on anybody, like Councilman Lewis Payne, a library supporter. "I want to correct the illusion that when the bridge bonds expire, they could pay for a new library." The city will soon pay off bonds sold in 1989 to repair several city bridges, including the South Side Bridge. "Those funds will be needed to shore up other projects," Jones said.

Council President Tom Lane questioned Jones' austerity plan. "We never want to stop investing in the future, and the library is part of that," he said. "We are also looking at building a new civic center. We never want to stop moving forward."

Jones said he talks to lots of people when he eats lunch. "There is a difference of opinion between a county library and a city civic center," he said, emphasizing the words "county" and "city."

In other business Monday, Mayoral Assistant Mary Alice Hodgson announced that the city's recycling program will be cut back to just paper products, starting next week, because of cutbacks at the county solid waste authority.

People can leave newspapers, magazines and other types of papers in their green recycling bins, but not corrugated cardboard, cans or plastic. "Anything else will be taken to the landfill," Hodgson said. She urged people to stockpile other recyclables at home, in a garage or elsewhere, as the city may resume taking them if the market returns.

Also, council members approved a new litter ordinance that forbids people from tossing cigarette butts on the sidewalk or street. Violators can be fined between $50 and $500, the law says.

Reach Jim Balow at ba...@wvgazette.com or 348-5102.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Saying there could be dip in city fortunes next year, Mayor Danny Jones urged City Council members to be frugal.

That means ending Regatta, as Jones suggested two weeks ago, and may also mean the city should not help pay for the proposed new downtown library, Jones told members of council's Finance Committee Monday evening.

Charleston's finances tend to avoid the major booms and busts experienced by other parts of the country, Jones said. "But that doesn't mean we don't have an occasional dip. We had one in 2002.

"If we ever have one, it will be next year. I want us to plan and for this to be the year of impecunity, and for us not to do anything - which is why I proposed not renewing Regatta, which is my decision.

"And unless someone comes up with $400,000 [the amount needed to stage the annual event], I'm going to notify vendors at the end of December and tell them to find somewhere else to go next year.

"I think we need to be frugal. That doesn't mean canceling pay raises, but whatever we do needs to be well-reasoned ... be good managers. I think this year is the year to prepare for a downturn and if we don't have one, good, we can add to our rainy day fund."

Jones said he didn't want to pick on anybody, like Councilman Lewis Payne, a library supporter. "I want to correct the illusion that when the bridge bonds expire, they could pay for a new library." The city will soon pay off bonds sold in 1989 to repair several city bridges, including the South Side Bridge. "Those funds will be needed to shore up other projects," Jones said.

Council President Tom Lane questioned Jones' austerity plan. "We never want to stop investing in the future, and the library is part of that," he said. "We are also looking at building a new civic center. We never want to stop moving forward."

Jones said he talks to lots of people when he eats lunch. "There is a difference of opinion between a county library and a city civic center," he said, emphasizing the words "county" and "city."

In other business Monday, Mayoral Assistant Mary Alice Hodgson announced that the city's recycling program will be cut back to just paper products, starting next week, because of cutbacks at the county solid waste authority.

People can leave newspapers, magazines and other types of papers in their green recycling bins, but not corrugated cardboard, cans or plastic. "Anything else will be taken to the landfill," Hodgson said. She urged people to stockpile other recyclables at home, in a garage or elsewhere, as the city may resume taking them if the market returns.

Also, council members approved a new litter ordinance that forbids people from tossing cigarette butts on the sidewalk or street. Violators can be fined between $50 and $500, the law says.

Reach Jim Balow at ba...@wvgazette.com or 348-5102.