As Auburn residents digest city manager Mark Palesh's budget proposal for 2008-09, they should appreciate the fiscal progress it represents.

The manager's plan keeps flat all three of the city's tax rates - property, sewer and water. And it does so without any dramatic cuts in city staff or services.

That's a rather remarkable accomplishment, considering where the city was just two years ago. Former city manager John Salomone's final budget proposal - the one for 2006-07 - included a 9-percent property tax increase and the elimination of 26.5 full-time equivalent positions. The weeks after that plan came out were filled with department infighting and protests outside city hall.

The city council that year finally adopted a budget with a lower tax increase and fewer cuts, but the thinking at the time was that significantly greater budget pain was in the city's future.

But then came a leadership change, with Salomone leaving and Palesh being hired to replace him. The council's top directive for Palesh was to stabilize the city's finances, and with plenty of careful cost controlling, he's done just that.

It's true that the city manager's leadership style and some of his decisions have been questionable, but he's proven his ability to manage a budget.

This spending plan certainly defies the trend we're seeing from other government entities. School and county taxes continue to go up, as do taxes in plenty of other cities throughout New York.

With all that said, we're by no means declaring this a perfect budget. There will certainly be some specific items that deserve vigorous debate.

But it's rare that a legislative body gets to start with a spending plan that holds the line on taxes, and we urge city councilors to make sure the final version of this budget keeps Palesh's bottom line.