Maybe public interest in Butler’s financial struggles will grow as the city council continues through the 2012 budget-preparation process, but meetings Tuesday and Thursday night provided grounds for pessimism.

In a city of 13,700 residents, more than one or two should show up to ask questions and hear what the council has to say about the worsening fiscal situation. But of the about 30 people who attended Thursday’s meeting, virtually all were there for the purpose of encouraging council action on creation of a human relations commission.

At that meeting, the city’s fiscal plight seemed to be the farthest thing from anyone’s mind — and the council provided virtually no news on the issue to reporters in attendance.

Considering the municipality’s money situation, the council should come to every meeting ready to explain and discuss city spending. But it’s understandable why that isn’t happening, if city residents have “better things to do” than spending time for something that affects their wallets and pocketbooks.

With only two or three years before Butler’s financial situation reaches crisis proportions, it’s not premature for residents to show that they care, by attending meetings, asking questions and expressing opinions.

If they don’t, the day might come when they are confused about why new tax burdens are being placed on them and why services are being cut back — and puzzled why city leaders didn’t address the deteriorating situation more quickly.

And, they’ll have only themselves to blame for being out of touch with what’s going on.

CheerThe new scoreboard for the Seneca Valley Senior High School gymnasium is a good deal on several fronts.From the taxpayers’ vantage point, the scoreboard will be paid for without tax revenue.Venture Engineering, a Pittsburgh-based company, will provide $7,000 toward the $19,430 purchase price, and the boys’ and girls’ basketball booster organizations each have agreed to provide $3,000.The rest of the cost will be covered by the district’s facilities improvement fund. That fund generates money from student activity fees.From the standpoint of reliability, replacing the current scoreboard makes sense, since the district has been spending about $1,200 a year for repairs. And, long-term prospects of keeping the scoreboard operational were iffy, since it contains several parts no longer manufactured.The scoreboard dates back to 1994.The district had a difficult time balancing this year’s budget, and that situation might be repeated during 2012-13 budget preparations next spring.However, with the way the purchase is being paid for, there seems to be no basis for taxpayer complaints.

CheerThe city of Camden, N.J., is hundreds of miles east of here. However, that city has a message relevant to places like Butler that would end up much better off if they were able to attract more middle-class people to move in, where those people would be closer to their employment.Camden, which is New Jersey’s most impoverished city, is working with some of its biggest employers to try to get their employees to move to the city.Three hospitals and Rowan University have announced that they will offer employees up to $15,000 to move to neighborhoods near their facilities. Additionally, banks have said they will offer special mortgage incentives for those who participate in the program.According to the Associated Press, similar efforts are in place in Philadelphia and New Haven, Conn.There’s a downside associated with Camden’s plan — the crime rate is up. However, the program comes at a time when property prices in that city are down.It’s too soon to predict whether this new Camden effort will prove successful, but other cities — including Butler — should pay attention.Big employers such as Butler Memorial Hospital and AK Steel — and even smaller ones — could boost this city’s fortunes by teaming up with city leaders in considering what could be implemented here.Nothing would be lost by brainstorming the idea.