Both sides of a 3-3 board of aldermen split had good points Tuesday night.

The three aldermen who voted in favor of privatizing grass cutting — Dan Dillard, Mark Fortenbery and Bob Pollard — are right that the city must start cutting expenses. Farming out something as simple yet costly as grass cutting is a great place to start.

Yet, the latest budget-reducing move joins several others in what seems like a piecemeal attack at expenses.

Which brings us to one point made by the other side — Aldermen Ernest “Tony” Fields, Ricky Gray and Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis.

What is the plan for savings? Did recent layoffs save money, or do rehires simply mean the payroll check has a different name on it?

If grass cutting is privatized, will those affected employees be fired or simply relocated? If they are relocated, what are the actual savings to the overall city budget?

The questions are many, but the answers have been few.

Attacking an already-overspent budget during a recession when sales tax revenues are slumping requires a master plan that is clearly communicated to all hands on deck.

When a boat is taking on water, it’s logical to snatch up a bucket and furiously bail.

But a bucket here and a bucket there may not stop the inevitable, especially if no one is certain all the buckets are being thrown outside the boat’s hull.

The mayor and this board need to sit around the table, crunch the numbers, agree on a plan, communicate the plan to the taxpayers and then carry out the plan.

With six heads, certainly we can come up with a budget plan with real numbers.