Local governments face painful budget choices

Revenues dropping as tax assessments catch up with falling home values

John W. SchoenSenior producer
updated 5:52 a.m. PT, Thurs., July. 9, 2009
ELKHART, Ind.—

After a long winter, this is high season for road repair, and the Elkhart County Highway Department has a busy schedule. But deep budget cuts have forced changes in that schedule to try to get the same work done with less money.

Instead of working a traditional workweek of five, eight-hour days, road crews now work four, 10-hour days. The hope is that those longer days will reduce the downtime that comes at the end of each day’s shift.

“You’ve got to secure the site — there's an hour. You’ve got to clean up — there’s an hour. And then you have to go back to the shop — there’s a half-hour,â€