For the third month in a row, Eureka Springs City Council convened a 30-minute budget workshop before the second meeting of the month. Monday evening’s workshop, like the previous one, left hardly any break before the regular meeting. Alderman Bob Thomas requested the budget workshops start earlier, and 5:15 p.m. before the second council meeting of the month was the agreed upon future starting time.
During the workshop, Finance Director Lonnie Clark found himself explaining apparent anomalies in the city’s budget, such as the cost of two new trolleys when only one was budgeted for this year. He said the first trolley arrived in January but was expected in 2015, and Transit Director Ken Smith will not sign off on a new trolley until all problems have been resolved. Therefore, the delivery date was later than expected and it crossed over into this budget year.
Alderman Kristi Kendrick then remarked if the trolley had arrived on time, last year’s budget would have looked even worse. Clark could not disagree.
Kendrick also noticed a $15,451 expense in the Fire & EMS line that had not been budgeted and most of the year’s allotment for legal services has been spent. Clark explained the first expense had been for an upgrade in equipment for firefighters in the aftermath of a near disaster. To her second point, alderman David Mitchell, who chaired the workshop, mentioned there had been attorneys’ fees for unexpected suits, but assured her Mayor Butch Berry’s office is paying attention.
Alderman Terry McClung noted that overtime at ESFD had picked up dramatically over the past two months, and Mitchell said that council would be getting updated information about the fire department’s budget situation soon.
Aldermen and Clark discussed budgets in general and particular items in this year’s budget in detail in search of a better understanding of how the flow of money through the city is tracked and how to makes reports clearer and more complete for aldermen.
“It’s getting better,” Mitchell commented.