If Batesville had a mayor like Southaven’s, we could sell more newspapers.

But alas, last Friday’s public hearing on the city’s 2013 budget was such a mundane affair that it attracted only the several city employees who are somewhat a captive audience anyway.

And me. I was there for you to gather a story about this latest, necessary step our elected officials were taking to keep the city in business.

“Why are there no people — the public — here?” CPA Bill Crawford asked, rhetorically.

“Maybe they feel good about what we’re doing,” Alderman Stan Harrison said.

Well, they trust you,” Crawford said, answering his own question.

“I hope so,” Harrison added.

“If you’re not going to raise my taxes, something good must be going on,” Crawford continued.

“Especially in light of the fact that you didn’t get the LS Power money, said assistant City Attorney Colmon Mitchell.

And so it went. The budget balanced easily with no tax increase even with ad valorem tax projections reduced, a three percent across-the-board raise for city employees, the city’s bonded debt down to a very manageable amount, leaving room for more bond financing if a major infrastructure need comes along. The public hearing over money got so warm and fuzzy that the meeting was soon adjourned.

Certainly it was an unusual occasion. Heavy rains will come and with it street flooding that brings citizens to city meetings seeking relief; a city employee will make a misstep that prompts an entourage of citizens seeking redress. And so on.

 But for a few minutes last Friday afternoon in the city hall meeting room, the machinations of city government were well-oiled, calm and quiet.

The elected officials were quick to push praise down the ladder of city government.

 “I think that Laura has pretty well held everybody’s feet to the fire the last few years,” the CPA said, in praise of City Clerk Laura Herron who has taken leadership in the city’s stress budgeting. Herron is not alone. Her success has been built on the cooperation from other city department heads.

“That’s why it pays to have good people,” Alderman Bill Dugger said.

Words of praise won’t often fill these pages. When there are foibles, foolishness or rascality, we’ll report that prominently. But that doesn’t mean when something praiseworthy occurs, we shouldn’t write about that as well.

Now, if we can just get our mayor (or an aldermen, even the attorney!) to show out a little, grab some TV attention, we can write about that and be selling papers like hotcakes.