Butler is ready to move forward with a plan to get out of its financial crisis, but the city can't afford to hire someone to take charge of the task.

So it's looking for a volunteer.

Michael Foreman, of the state Department of Community and Economic Development, told city council that volunteers were needed to help the city with its money-saving steps, and the first thing council should do is find someone from the community to oversee the project.

"The best thing is to put somebody in charge," Mr. Foreman told council June 20. "We have to look at it as not a paid position."

Council agreed.

"The idea of an executive volunteer is fantastic," Councilman Jim Kraus said.

"This is a full-time job," Councilman Mike Kelly said. "We need somebody to do this right now."

The money-saving moves the city wants to tackle include taking control of public safety costs, upgrading management practices, improving revenue flow and boosting community and economic development.

Those tasks stem from the city's participation in the state Early Intervention Program, designed to help financially stressed municipalities avoid Act 47 status, which puts the state in control of a town's day-to-day operations. A $30,000 state grant is funding the program, with a $30,000 match by Butler through in-kind services.

Mr. Foreman, who works in the state's Office of Technical Assistance for Fiscal Management, met with council in June 2003 and said at that time he didn't see Butler as a distressed community, but that action had to be taken to avoid more severe problems.

The recommendations on how to improve Butler's financial situation were delivered to council in August by consultants Resource Development and Management Inc.

Mr. Foreman said the tasks were so overwhelming that they should be divided among council members and would require a team effort.

"My biggest concern is time, time we don't have," Mr. Kraus said. "We are at the end of the line in many respects."

Council agreed it would take too long if the five members took on the job themselves and that someone had to be found in the community.

Mayor Maggie Stock said she would like to have a volunteer manager in place by September or October.

Mr. Foreman said he would meet with council at its agenda-setting meeting July 25 to continue discussions.

Council members agreed that the money-saving recommendations should be included in the budget planning for next year.

The last time the city had a budget surplus was in 1999, when it had an extra $800,000.

The budget crisis resulted in the layoff of five employees in 2003 and has brought careful spending in every city department.