Who’s on first? What’s on second? When’s the FEMA deadline? What deadline?

There is no deadline.

What?

The latest word from city hall seems a bit like an annoying Abbott and Costello comedy sketch that climaxes in utter confusion.

The final outcome is good — the city can still receive up to $200,000 in FEMA money to fund storm cleanup.

But the steps leading up to the good news leave us scratching our heads just like Costello.

If Public Works Director Eric Smith knew all along there was no FEMA deadline, why didn’t Mayor Jake Middleton know? Don’t they communicate?

And if the FEMA money is still an option, why did the city vote Tuesday night to take out a $500,000 loan to cover, in part, storm cleanup?

These are questions we — and the taxpayers — can’t answer. And it’s reason to worry.

It seems some city leaders are offering answers to questions without really researching the problems. They are full of answers, but no one has stopped to truly understand the questions.

At best, major communication problems exist.

City leaders must think before they speak, and they need to do their research before making decisions.

Otherwise we wind up with sad imitations of comedy routines asking silly questions when the real question is:

What’s going on at city hall?

No one seems to know.