On Wednesday, Falkirk Council will meet to set its price range for the yr forward - the final earlier than Might's elections, which may see a major change to the ranks of councillors.
With an unprecedented price range deficit of £29 million, the council's chief govt, Kenneth Lawrie, says that simply managing to bridge that hole whereas sustaining a robust sense of course has been an achievement in itself.
To get there, they've needed to make use of numerous measures - notably utilizing a big chunk of reserves, altering how they repay debt and elevating council tax.
As a minority administration, the SNP can't depend on its proposals being handed on Wednesday.
However regardless of the consequence, at the least a few of the steered financial savings should be adopted as a way to meet authorized necessities.
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Whether or not that can embody drastic measures comparable to reducing college budgets, closing public bathrooms or scrapping free canine poo luggage stays to be seen.
The chief of Falkirk Council, Cecil Meiklejohn, acknowledges it has been a tough price range to do "with out having any affect in anyway".
Whereas they've tried onerous to not reduce providers, the measures which have allowed this are "very a lot one-off", she warned.
"We've used an enormous chunk of our reserves this yr which is kind of unprecedented and as soon as you have spent that, you possibly can't put it again."
Nevertheless, she added that there have been tasks on this yr's price range that will assist the council remodel the best way it delivers providers.
"Our transformation programme goes to be one thing we will must look to progress very swiftly for future years," she mentioned.
Mr Lawrie mentioned he was assured that the council has a great transformation programme - however added that it's vital to do extra because the council's monetary scenario was not going to get any higher within the years forward.
"It isn't nearly accelerating the programme, it will be about extending it, increasing it - driving by means of a few of these issues post-election with a brand new council.
"Our monetary downside will not be a one-year downside - it is a long-term problem to discover a steadiness between all of the service pressures that we face, a weakening place when it comes to our price range and the necessity to bridge that hole.
Chief Finance Officer Bryan Smail mentioned: "The dimensions of the price range hole is unprecedented and I feel you would need to say it is an achievement to deliver ahead proposals that obtain our statutory requirement to provide a balanced price range.
"However we recover from the hurdle of this yr and instantly lurking within the month's forward is the same problem."
Nevertheless, on Wednesday, he'll as soon as once more remind that councillors that whereas the cuts are a major a part of the story, the council does have a gross funding of greater than half a billion kilos "being spent on providers which can be priceless and valued by the native communities".
"We might love to do extra however we're fettered by the sources obtainable to us," he added.
There will even be money to proceed to district's bid to maneuver to web zero and enhance jobs and funding alternatives.
Mr Lawrie additionally believes that the council will construct on its shut work with communities throughout the pandemic and it'll proceed to deal with issues comparable to poverty and poor psychological well being which can be crucial post-covid.