It has always been a sure sign of the season — hundreds of spring flowers waiting to be planted in downtown planters.

But now, it is the sign of another season — the season of a strained city budget.

City Hall leaders on Friday put out a call for volunteers to help plant hundreds of orange, yellow and blue pansies in planters throughout downtown this spring.

Crystal Miles, the city’s horticulture manager, said the city has used volunteer planters in the past, but the city is placing extra emphasis on using volunteers this year as the city could face a $1 million shortfall in state funding for a variety of programs.

“If somebody wants to work with us, we will gladly put them to work,” Miles said.

Specific dates for the plantings haven’t been set. Instead, Miles said people interested in volunteering could leave their names and contact information by calling 832-7970 or logging on to lprd.org/parks/volunteering.shtml.

City commissioners have considered eliminating at least one downtown planting — probably the fall planting — if city revenues do come in short this year. Thus far, city officials haven’t made a decision on whether to eliminate a planting, but instead are waiting to see whether state legislators cut funding to cities. The elimination of a planting would be expected to save the city about $10,000.