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&lt;p&gt;Last month, I examined the economic plight of Harrisburg, PA and the city government&#39;s attempt to dig the state capital out of debt by bringing in consultants.  Back then, Harrisburg was strapped with a nearly $300 million debt burden&amp;mdash;four times the city&#39;s annual budget&amp;mdash;and officials turned to the public sector strategists at Novak Consulting Group to slash the deficit in a matter of months.  Now in February that burden remains on the books, but as &lt;em&gt;The Wall Street Journal&lt;/em&gt; reported yesterday, the consultants at Novak have produced their first-edition roadmap to salvation for the troubled community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to the Novak Consulting Group, the path to revival first requires the city to get back on solid financial ground.  That&#39;s a sentiment Harrisburg officials agree with; the &lt;em&gt;Journal&lt;/em&gt; suggests that the city is desperate to successfully make upcoming debt payments of $5 million and more.  So, first up for Harrisburg is a serious reduction in spending (a good place to start would be with mayor Linda Thompson, pictured here bedazzled in muskrat fur and Louis Vuitton).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot; src=&quot;http://www.vault.com/VCM/articles/harrismayor.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;156&quot; height=&quot;216&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;Julia Novak, founder of her eponymous consulting firm, has warned that spending will outpace revenue as early as March.  To control it, she recommends a comprehensive reevaluation of operational costs.  &quot;Only expenditures that are essential to the health, safety and welfare of city residents should be approved,&quot; said Novak in a recent letter to the city government.  The &lt;em&gt;Journal&lt;/em&gt; also says that Novak &quot;recommended the city freeze hiring and discretionary spending, restrict overtime, limit capital spending and review grants in order to conserve cash.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lots of governments have had to make painful cuts in spending this year, in the face of a nasty recession and public outcry for balanced budgets.  Perhaps Harrisburg should consider its expenses regarding the contract with Novak; surely, any public leader in America could have given the city the same advice (cut spending) for free.  Instead of just recommending spending cuts, it&#39;s time for Julia Novak and Co. to develop an innovative strategy that focuses on generating more revenue for the once-proud capital.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We&#39;ll continue to monitor Harrisburg&#39;s (and Novak Consulting Group&#39;s) progress as the plot thickens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For more information:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt; WSJ: Harrisburg Faces Cash Crunch in March&lt;/p&gt;

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