Mayor Butch Berry told city council on Monday that 2018 is the first time he remembered city finances beginning the year in the black. Finance Director Lonnie Clark announced that although revenues lagged behind projections a bit and he has already paid the early once-a-year expenses, such as workers compensation insurance and the computer software contract, “finances look really good.”
Clark said sales taxes have been fantastic and the spending freeze has begun to have an identifiable positive result on city finances. Clark has been able to add to reserves and progress has been made collecting debts owed to the ES Fire Department.
“This is a good way to start the year,” Berry noted.