It passed with hardly a whisper but the City of Harrison’s 2013 budget created many squeaks and sighs as municipal lawmakers and departmental directors fine-tuned it until they produced a version that sounds better than its preliminary predecessors.

Following months of discussion in the finance committee, Harrison Council Tuesday, Dec. 18, passed the leanest city budget in several years, particularly in the general fund from which many vital services are funded.

In the final overall budget, which Mayor Joel McGuire dubbed version Vista 3.5, the finance committee was able to project a year-ending general fund balance of about $94,600, a far cry from the $500,000 to $600,000 projections over the past several years.