CITY HALL , Severe drops in sales tax and other revenue for the city have created an $8.4-million budget gap this fiscal year, officials reported, setting up a citywide hiring freeze and the elimination of 24 vacant positions. In a special City Council budget session Tuesday morning, city officials said they would suspend the use of general-fund money to pay for road improvement projects or augment the capital-improvement budget, instead using funds generated by the state gas tax. For the full story click here