DAPHNE — The finance committee on Monday did not make any changes to the 2008 operating budget.

“We basically had the first read of our budget, it will either pass or it won’t,” Councilman Ron Scott said.

“I think the council has asked all legitimate questions,” he said of allocations.

If the money is budgeted to a certain department or for a particular reason, the City Council loses control of it after accepting the budget, Scott said.

Also on Monday, the committee passed motions to recommend the City Council to accept bids for various equipment among city departments.

The first bid was for three natural-gas generators for the Daphne Fire Department.

The department received a grant that will cover 95 percent of the cost and the city will cover the remaining five percent, according to Daphne finance Director Kim Briley.

The generators cost about $19,000 each and the bid will be honored for one year if any additional generators need to be purchased, Briley said.

Committee members also reviewed a bid for a rubber-tire skid steer-loader.

The city currently leases the equipment, Public Works Superintendent Melvin McCarley said. The motion will allow Public Works to buy the equipment and will cost less in the long run, McCarley said.

A diesel generator will be purchased for City Hall. The generator will allow the building to continue operating in emergency situations, Mayor Fred Small said.

The city already owns one that officials thought could be rebuilt, Small said. However, it will be cheaper to buy one rather than rebuild the older one, Small said.