After nearly three months of scrutiny, the Des Moines City Council approved on Nov. 30 the city's 2007 budget. The new spending plan was adopted by a vote of 4-3.

The budget of almost $50 million calls for operating expenses of $29 million and capital spending of $21 million. It is based on anticipated revenues that include $12.5 million in local tax revenues.

Voting for the new budget were Mayor Bob Sheckler and Council members Ed Pina, Carmen Scott and Susan White.

Mayor Pro-Tem Scott Thomasson and Councilmen Dave Kaplan and Dan Sherman voted no.

Before the budget was passed, however, apprehension was expressed by some of the council members.

Kaplan complained that it took the council too long to go through the first reading of the budget.

"It took us three months to get through the budget once," he said. "That was a mistake."

Ultimately, most council members agreed that they had done the review necessary to pass the budget. With plenty of work still on the council's agenda and the end of the year fast approaching, time was becoming more of an issue, they said.

The council also renewed an agreement with the city of Normandy Park for court services. The current agreement expires at the end of this year.

Lawmakers first debated whether the city was billing Normandy Park enough for the use of Des Moines Municipal Court facilities, but then accepted the agreement as proposed..

Normandy Park will use Des Moines' court system one day a month for a total of 12 days a year.

The net revenue from this service will be $38,000 to $40,000 a year depending on the number of citations that come before the court.

In other business, the council voted to adopt an ordinance creating the Des Moines Arts Commission. The commission's goal is to advance cultural development in Des Moines.

The ordinance was amended to have nine art commission members, from the originally proposed number of 12.

A city council will also act as a liaison to the group, but will not be a voting member.