Budget cuts are hitting the Capital City hard.

From fire and police, to the Topeka zoo, money to support the city's departments is scarce.

Now, District Attorney Robert Hecht is using a court document to investigate whether some city council members violated the state spending law, or the Kansas Cash Basis Law.

49 News Political Analyst Loran Smith says it surprised him that city leaders may have forgotten a basic principle of Kansas government.

"It's such an important act it should be tattooed on their foreheads," he said.

The controversy surrounds the council's purchase of an $800,000 police helicopter, and a multi-million dollar computer software system.

Smith says in order for council members to have broken the law the DA must believe both of those purchases were not in the budget.

The council has already made a down payment of more $70,000 for the chopper.

"If we have city officials who illegally start playing game with our finances who gets hurt?" he asked. "We do."

If the city did go bankrupt, Smith says the state would step in.

It would cut budgets and raise your taxes to pay for the debt.

Smith says he thinks city government was so focused on getting the votes to pass the helicopter and software purchases that no one focused on how they would be paid for.

"I'm hoping that Mr. Hecht is simply trying to get them to do the right thing rather than pursuing a vendetta because it doesn't do any good to anyone to remove anyone from office," he said.