City council met for a workshop on the city budget Monday before the regular meeting, and alderman Terry McClung kept going over possible interpretations of budget numbers to gauge how the year was playing out financially for the city. Eventually he commented, “We’re way short.”
Mayor Butch Berry pointed out the rainy month of May affected tax revenue negatively, but the city will soon see money from the sewer rate increase.
“Seems like we’re turning the corner on revenues,” Finance Director Lonnie Clark said. Berry acknowledged department heads for keeping expenses in line, and said the new accounting software has made them more involved in the overall process on a month-to-month basis.
Clark told council as much as $100,000 was due from Medicare, which would go toward payment on an ambulance, but disbursement has been held up. However, on a high note, Mitchell reported billing and collecting for the Fire Department is looking far better than in past years.
Clark suggested alderman look toward late July or early August for a mid-year budget review where alderman can make necessary adjustments.
Berry saw the addition of the sewer rate increase and the Infrastructure Improvement charge to city revenue as a balancing factor, and said he expected budget numbers to improve for the rest of the year and beyond.
Final comment from Berry was, “Don’t be worried yet.”