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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The budget forecast is looking pretty flat for the City of Colorado Springs, so Mayor Steve Bach is proposing a conservative budget for 2012.

It's a plan that includes eliminating approximately 38 vacant positions at a savings of more than $3.7 million across all departments.

"I think you'll see people line up on the conservative side and the other side saying we need to put more money into transportation," Tim Leigh, Colorado Springs City Councilmember, said.

The proposed budget, as of right now, is looking very similar to the 2011 numbers with the general fund totaling $224,575,000 and city services maintaining their current levels.

One of Bach's main objectives is to transform city government without increasing taxes, and that means looking long-term at the budget.

The concern from some city councilmembers is in the past they've crunched the numbers one year at a time.

But with the City's budget expected to run a deficit in the next few years, something needs to be done.

"If we don't change the costs, we're going to be out of money in a few years," Bach said.

Bach is starting a period of "innovation and reinvention" within city government.

The idea is to bring a fresh look to city jobs. For example City Clerk Kathryn Young retired back in August, but she hasn't been replaced.

"We're still working through the analysis of what that function is all about, what they do, whether they're the right group to do that, or whether to outsource it to [El Paso] County," Bach said.

And with an uncertain future ahead, next year's budget is critical.

The first city council budget work session will be on Oct. 18. Then on Nov. 3, city council will have their first chance to debate making changes on the proposed budget with their markup session.