Here’s a  rock and a hard place” situation for the City of Tulsa.

The two weeks of below-freezing temperatures in February wrecked havoc with the city’s infrastructure, particularly waterlines and potholes in city streets.

Add to that the overtime caused by the storms and the need to replace aging snow equipment and supplies of salt and sand to treat streets.

This could cost millions of dollars not accounted for in the budget.

Then you have the damage done by the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. People have been laid off. Small businesses and some big businesses have closed. Retailers – an important source for sales tax, the lifeblood of the city budget – are going out of business as consumers who are stuck in their homes due to the pandemic order their goods online. Restaurants were forced to restrict seating and have to depend more and more on their takeout business.

It’s not hard to add up.

Huge costs to the city due to the storms.

Big dips in city revenue due to coronavirus.

Mayor G.T. Bynum has predicted a $10 million budget shortfall for this fiscal year.

There are two solutions.

Raise taxes. That’s the wrong answer.

Tighten your belt. That’s what the city needs to do. Employee furloughs may be one answer. Trimming the city staff of unnecessary bureaucrats would help.

Times are tough. Tulsa needs to focus on vital public services and trim the chaff.