A leaner, tighter city budget that would lay off dozens of full- and part-time city employees is before the Anchorage Assembly tonight as Mayor Dan Sullivan puts his first real mark on local government.

Sullivan's budget proposal first went to the Assembly two months ago at about $421 million for 2010. That's $12 million less than the 2009 budget originally passed last year, but larger than the $416 million the city will end up spending this year after a deep series of deficit-inspired service and manpower cuts engineered by Sullivan and Matt Claman, who served as acting mayor for the first six months of this year.

Sullivan campaigned for mayor on promises to hold down city spending and keep property taxes below the ceiling allowed by the city's tax cap. His budget does that: The $238 million Sullivan proposes collecting in 2010 property taxes is almost $11 million less than allowed under the cap.

The new mayor's hands are tied in one sense. Negotiated wage increases for nine city unions will bump up city spending by about $12 million over this year's level, according to budget officials, and a corresponding increase for employees who aren't union members adds another $1.2 million.

In Sullivan's budget, as presented to the Assembly in early October, he planned to slash 192 jobs, deep cuts he said are necessitated by growing personnel costs connected to four long-term union contracts negotiated by former Mayor Mark Begich's administration and approved by a divided Assembly last year. City revenue and investments also were hurt by the national recession, although some signs of recovery have begun to appear.

Sullivan says his priority is public safety, mainly keeping police officers and firefighters on the streets. But his budget tightening touches virtually every city department and would cut back on branch library hours, raise fares and shorten hours for public buses, and greatly reduce or eliminate city grants to a number of nonprofit arts and social agencies, among other things.

In response, Assembly members have been meeting informally, often with Assemblyman Dan Coffey, who is serving as Sullivan's point man with the city's legislative body, and looking for ways to restore funding for some things. Sullivan has said he is receptive to some minor changes, but not big additions to his budget. He has the power to veto Assembly changes and appears to have clout with enough members to make his vetoes stick.

Assembly members Patrick Flynn and Jennifer Johnston have cobbled together a modified budget plan also on the table tonight. This plan would eliminate the bus fare increase and add about $200,000 to keep buses running early in the morning and late at night. Their plan, according to Flynn's online blog, also would add about $150,000 in grants to arts groups and almost $100,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs and Camp Fire after-school programs.

Several members are looking for ways to restore some money for library services -- adding hours at more distant branches in Girdwood and Eagle River, for example -- and for buying books and other materials. Assemblywoman Sheila Selkregg wants to restore payroll for three jobs to work with the homeless, or people who are about to become homeless, as well as victims of domestic abuse. Assemblywoman Elvi Gray-Jackson wants to put money back in the budget for a second fire inspector.

Assemblyman Mike Gutierrez pointed out last week that the city could restore a lot of services simply by deciding to tax up to the legal limit, which would add another $10 million to spend.

The cost to taxpayers?

About $8 a month a month for someone who owns a $275,000 home, Gutierrez said. Might be a good trade for the chance to ride the buses more often and get streets plowed sooner, he added.