The reason: A nearly $650,000 negative general-fund balance was revealed last November. In March, this northern Utah city announced that Moody's Investors Service had downgraded its bond rating.

At an Oct. 19 workshop, for example, Councilman Steve ThompÂson, who attended via telephone conference from Salt Lake City, openly criticized Mayor Douglas Thompson.

"This mayor has had two property-tax increases and still can't balance the budget," said Steve Thompson, who also is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House.

In an interview the following day, the mayor said he was aware that his critics accuse him of "soft-pedaling" the findings of the Moody Report.

But he maintains that Logan still has an enviable bond rating, despite the downgrade. The reduced rating likely will cost the city $10,000 to $12,000 over a 20-year period for a $20 million bond, he said.

"The actual cost is very minimal," he said.

Douglas Thompson said he is wary of implementing what he considers to be drastic measures - at the expense of the residents - to recover the rating. The Moody report is just one assessment tool, and officials are taking steps to improve those areas of need identified by the report, he said.

"We shouldn't make too much or too little of it," Mayor Thompson said. "If you do, it's probably political."

Whatever their motives, council members are reacting strongly to recent reports.

Council chairwoman Tami Pyfer said a recent audit criticized them for spending money that wasn't available.

But, she pointed out, the council was acting on resolutions drafted by administrators.

"I think this is a serious issue, and [it] is part of what has prompted the council's zeal in educating [itself] about the budget. We won't be put in that situation again," Pyfer vowed.

"We have not been fully realizing the council's role as keepers of the budget. This council - including three new members - has worked very hard all year to learn more about the budget, to understand the fiscal reports that are generated, to know which questions to ask, to say 'no' when we don't have the money.

"We are responsible for the fiscal health of the city, but the administration has the information we need to make good decisions," she said, "and we haven't always been getting this information."

The mayor responded to the lengthy list of requests for reports by saying council members can glean some of the information themselves. He also pointed out that some of the deadlines for the reports might to be too short to be met.

"We don't want to over-promise and under-deliver," ThompÂson said.

But council members are beginning to discuss a change to a city-manager form of government, in which the mayor plays less of a role in Logan's day-to-day management, Pyfer said.

She believes this could help improve communication with the council on budget and financial matters, and also bring a professional in public administration on board.

"We hope, too, that it would reduce the often political nature of many important decisions," she said.

The mayor, meanwhile, says he believes that discussion about change "was mainly academic."

"The strong-mayor/council form of government was set up to duplicate the federal and state government model, and it seems to have served us pretty well," he said.

"I really believe the citizens like what we've got."

ajbrunson@comcast.net