Local elected officials have been understandably concerned about nearly every dollar that goes out of their town's coffers. In times of fiscal constraint, the importance of managing money is paramount.

That's what makes news this week out of Wendell particularly gratifying.

Town officials found a way to turn a negative into a positive.

As part of this year's budget, commissioners approved a plan to replace lighting at the large field at Wendell Park. Part of that expense included paying someone to take down the current light poles and dispose of them.

The light poles are 30 years old and, according to Parks and Recreation Director Brinkley Wagstaff, they were becoming dangerously worn out.

Using an online auction site, Wagstaff and Wendell Finance Director Butch Kay decided to try selling the light poles in an effort to make some money off them rather than having to pay to have them removed. The terms of the sale required the winning bidder to remove the poles at their own expense.

The bidding process closed a couple weeks ago and the town essentially turned a $2,000 negative into a $1,100 gain.

Now, to be clear, neither the planned expense nor the unexpected windfall represent a huge sum of money for a town with a million-dollar plus budget.

But the creative thinking that went into the idea is what encourages us.

The Web site, GovDeals, is known in government circles as a good way to get the highest return on your junk if you're a leader of a government agency. Other towns have used the site in the past and with good results. In fact, the light pole sale isn't the only instance in which the town has had good fortune.

Kay repurchased a wrecked police car from the town's insurance and sold it on GovDeals for more than he paid to buy it back.

In both cases, a willing buyer picked up a good deal and the town came out in the black on the accounting ledger.

It's this kind of creative thinking, along with fiscal prudence that will help towns in eastern Wake County survive the current economic downturn.

We applaud that kind of thinking and we encourage leaders in all our towns to look for similarly creative ways to save and smart ways to spend.