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GREENSBORO — Taxpayers, start hugging your wallets.

Or perhaps the nearest City Council member.

In a quick meeting Wednesday night, council members agreed on enough cuts to next year's budget to prevent a planned 2.75-cent tax increase.

The council agreed with City Manager Mitchell Johnson's proposal to delay road repair and coliseum renovations and to reduce staff at city lakes — just some of the things considered to keep a flat tax rate.

If those recommendations stick until the budget is approved in June, owners of a $200,000 home will save $55 in Greensboro property taxes next year.

Council members managed to restore $1.3 million of proposed cuts — including money for local nonprofits and neighborhood grants.

Last month, a majority of council members asked Johnson to present a "hold the line" budget that did not increase the city's current tax rate of 63.5 cents per $100 of home value.

To get there, the city had to cut more than $7 million. Tuesday night, council members agreed to cuts in several different areas, including a rolling hiring freeze citywide, reducing staff at city lakes, eliminating a $200,000 landscaping contract and delaying street and coliseum renovations worth more than $2 million.

The cuts to staff at the lakes mean that not all fishing areas will be open at all times.

Mayor Yvonne Johnson , who likes to fish, advocated that the council keep the current staffing levels at the lakes. But she did not get enough support from other council members.

Councilman Zack Matheny said the lakes in Raleigh rotate staff, and Greensboro can do it, too.

The council also approved a plan to increase fees for commercial trash collection by $37 a month, which will bring an additional $600,000 in revenue to the city.

On Wednesday night, council members were not willing to cut grants to neighborhoods or local nonprofits, a streetlight repair fund, or a housing and community development fund.

Next year, the city plans to spend $679,000 for local nonprofits, including organizations such as Downtown Greensboro Inc.

Council members said the groups show a good return on investment.

"We worked too hard to get our downtown a vibrant downtown," Mayor Johnson said.

Council members saved $65,000, which they will spend on street lights.

"The street lights, it is a safety concern," Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small said.

Wednesday night's budget discussion was not the last the council will have this year. The formal budget hearing will be in a few weeks. Between now and then, some council members have asked City Manager Johnson to consider other places the budget might be trimmed.

Councilwoman Trudy Wade asked him to consider cutting spending on outside legal staff, getting rid of extra cell phones and pagers, and renegotiating the city's electrical contract to account for burned-out street lights.

"I want to see what else we can cut," Wade said.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com