The Mendenhall Mayor and Board of Aldermen met July 20 for a budget workshop.
Budget workshops are a practice that Mayor Todd Booth said he wanted to bring back when he first took office. During the 2016 budget hearing many of the aldermen expressed how beneficial the work sessions can be.
City Clerk Tiffany Wallace said the 2017 budget workshop went well, but the budget has not been finalized. The work session was scheduled only days before the MML Conference, which did not allow for a follow up session.
Several projects that were initiated or discussed last fiscal year will have to be worked into the 2017 budget.
One of those projects is upgrades to the water department software. A representative from Central Pipe appeared before the board during the regularly scheduled meeting in April to explain that the software used on the water systems changes and should be updated every 10 years.
Wallace said, “The software we have now is becoming obsolete.” She said that the updated software will save man hours and eventually save the city money.
The current software gives the city the ability to do radio readings of meters. It still requires an employee to drive around and do the readings. Booth said, “It takes the biggest part of a day to get out and read meters.” The new software will allow cellular readings which will eliminate the need to drive to check meters.
Booth explained that the new software would give the city the capability to manage everything from City Hall, including reading meters and turning them on and off. The Board voted to update the software but plans to do it in this year’s budget. Booth said that once the technology was available in July the city would look into purchasing it slowly and making the transition.
The board will also have to work to accommodate requests from the public works department for newer vehicles. The purchase of newer vehicles will allow the public work department to operate more efficiently.
The Mendenhall Police Department was recently approved to purchase a new patrol car but this did not affect the budget. The patrol car was purchased using funds from the e-citation system.
Wallace said, “Nothing has been finalized and we are still working on it.”
The City is required to have a public hearing to discuss the budget between August 15 and August 30. The official date will be set during the next board meeting. The City is also required to adopt a budget no later than September 15.
Once the Mayor and Board of Aldermen reconvene in August they will resume working towards establishing a budget and meeting the needs of the city.
