Oops.

Anticipating a less-than-banner tax year, Vicksburg officials in September lowered the city’s projected spending for this year by $500,000. Problem is, income from sales and gaming taxes for the first two months of the budget year is already $200,000 less than projected — with 10 months to go.

Mayor Paul Winfield, in his first budget year, said he is not worried. Nor should he be. He was correct to bring an end to the cycle of almost every city budget being larger than the one before. And he’s especially on target when he points out that Vicksburg — with three substantial revenue streams — is far better positioned to weather a financial storm.

Two of those streams — casino taxes and property taxes — are holding fairly steady. The sales tax revenue has taken the sharpest dip — down 13.7 percent from the same period in 2008.

The direct taxes on casino revenue are on track to bring in $6.5 million this year. That cash, plus property taxes on new and improved casino properties, is essentially “found money.” Vicksburg did nothing to recruit the casino industry, operating here since August 1993, and the five operations provide about 33 cents of every dollar the city spends. This is cash — real cash — that puts Vicksburg far ahead in the revenue game when compared to other cities — Meridian, Laurel, Tupelo, Hattiesburg — which, under state law, are not casino-eligible.

Going forward, it would be wise for the city to use the casino revenue more judiciously than in the past.

For more than 16 years, the tap of casino cash has been open, providing a steady-to-increasing flow. Over time, the city has shifted that money from capital projects — such as the convention center, new police station and equipment, new fire stations and equipment — into regular operating overhead. With about the same population as in 1992, Vicksburg has roughly doubled the number of city jobs and tripled the payroll.

A tested and proven axiom is that if any government has money, the money will be spent. That’s not to allege waste, merely an expansion of expenses to match available dollars. Governments are a lot better at getting bigger than they are at getting smaller.

For now, Vicksburg is sitting pretty. The numbers, however, bear watching.