City Council hem and hawed over how to deal with the expected lack of sales tax revenue in April and May, arriving at lack of a plan by the end of their workshop on Monday. By March, I think most could tell that the proverbial cow manure was going to hit the fanbelt. Might be time to cut, cut, cut like every other business in Eureka Springs.
Mayor Butch Berry’s statement to monitor sales tax over the coming months (with receipts of sales tax revenue coming in delayed effect) comes off as an adorable but ultimately foolhardy attempt to placate dissent. It’s time for the city to make a plan. You can wait all you want but if you don’t start addressing and making decisions on how the city will save money now instead of waiting for your next meeting which isn’t for four weeks, the city will be paying the cost further into 2020.
Even if it is small cuts like say… aldermen and the mayor taking pay cuts, pennies do add up. The argument for the police budget size is due to the number of visitors we receive each year. Not too many visitors the past two months.
Seems like the mayor should have taken a hint how the rest of the country was suffering and started discussions of revenue much earlier than the beginning of May when the governor is trying to reopen the state. Taking a lesson at least from the Parks Commission, that worked to tighten up its 2020 budget due to not having all of their financial information.
But we can keep waiting. Nearly every business in Eureka Springs has cut expenditures, closed, or let go of employees, but the city is too terrified to do so. City council has a responsibility to keep the city afloat the same as a business owner does for their business. It’s going to be painful but get it done.
Jeremiah Alvarado
Thank you, Jeremiah. Well said. V