With gas prices tanking and the economy tightening up in the province, this year's Alberta budget is about cutting spending and finding ways to keep money flowing in. For local municipalities, however, the provincial budget isn't likely to have too much of an impact. The important Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) money, which makes up the lion's share of funding for municipalities' capital projects, is unaffected by this year's budget. While money may be tighter for the municipalities if the economy stays as-is in coming years, both the County of Stettler and the Town of Stettler are already working on running a tight ship, cutting and trimming away excesses to ensure that they'll have money left at the end of the year in case of slim years in the future. The sentiment was expressed by both the town and county at initial budget reviews. Both bodies are expected to table final budgets later this year, once all departments report in and all revenue streams are accounted for. According to Niki Thorsteinssen, spokesperson for the County of Stettler, the biggest pinch the county will likely experience from this year's provincial budget is in the cost of fuel. “The gas tax will increase our fuel costs,” she said. The county relies on vehicles that operate on both gasoline and diesel. Though diesel taxes have had an amnesty of sorts, preventing a rise in prices there, that amnesty was capped meaning that fuel source will experience the four-cent increase as well.