The City of The Dalles will hold its first budget committee meeting next week.  The committee is made up of the City Council and five at-large members from the community.  Mayor Steve Lawrence projects it will take three days of meetings to go through the entire budget.  Lawrence reiterated the priority would be on road maintenance, noting Councilors approved allowing transferring general fund money to road maintenance.  Lawrence added one of the Council’s goals for this year is to evaluate how the City can decrease its debtload, perhaps using a portion of increased transient room tax revenue to do so.  Another is to clearly identify what is in the general fund and how priorities are being set.