Colorado Springs has been making national headlines for the drastic measures being taken to balance its budget. And for some it's not a good thing. Many are criticizing national news stories, saying they put the city in a bad light.

The city has said goodbye to trash cans in city parks, it’s unplugged some of the city street lights. There's no more bus service on nights and weekends and the parks department all but lost its entire budget.

"Yeah, it's gotten attention, but the wrong interpretation of what's really happening," said Colorado Springs City Council member Sean Paige. He has recently taken phone calls from reporters in Denver, Canada and France, all of them wanting to talk about the unique and drastic cuts being made.

Paige admits it was a mistake to agree to the unusual cut to city street lights and says some national stories aren't painting a proper picture of the city. "Do I agree with all of the cuts that are happening? No. But we have to make them," said Paige.

Opinions on the cuts aside, some are split on how the rest of the country views the way the city is handling its budget crisis. "In my opinion, I think it puts us in a great light, because we're leading the way by example," said Paul Arellano who works in Colorado Springs.

Some disagree, "I think that the local government really needs to show Colorado Springs for its positive side," said Brigitte Campos, another resident.

However the story is portrayed, some cuts will continue to be visible for years.

Council member Paige also told 11 News if the city council had allowed for pay cuts to city workers, city leaders wouldn't have had to get so creative to balance the budget.