WBRZ - Baton Rouge

LAFAYETTE - Next year's Lafayette city-parish government budget might need to be $5 million leaner.

A discussion on Tuesday about the need for two new fire stations expanded into a debate over how the administration and council will find the estimated $5 million in new revenue that might be needed to maintain a status quo budget next year.

The issue is that the city's general fund budget for this year has about $5 million more in expenses than revenues, with revenue budgeted at $91.5 million and expenses at $96.7 million.

Chief Administrative Office Dee Stanley said that without new revenue, those public safety improvements are off the table barring drastic cuts in other departments.