The Mendenhall Mayor and Board of Aldermen held a recessed meeting on August 29 to discuss the budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
Mayor Todd Booth called the meeting to order and Alderwoman Janna Miller said a prayer before the floor was opened for discussion.
City Clerk Tiffany Wallace began the discussion by informing the board that a few minor changes were made to the budget that involved moving money around within a department.
Miriam Hopkins was the only citizen to join in the discussion. Hopkins was provided with a summary of the budget and questioned a line item within the City Park Department of the general fund. The item detailed a baseball loan that was a $15,175 hit against the budget. Hopkins asked about the original amount of the loan and the remaining balance of the loan.
Mayor Booth estimated that the original loan was approximately $250,000 and that approximately $230,000 remained. He explained that the loan was taken on by the previous administration and that it is an issue that the current board has been dealing with. Wallace explained that the loan was taken out to make improvements to Sportsplex.
A later check showed that the original amount of the loan was $250,000 as stated, and the remaining balance is $215,000.
Booth revealed that the city actually lost grant money during that time due to a lapse in paperwork which led to the loan. He explained that the City plans to become more aggressive in paying off the loan in the future.
Hopkins said, “I know funds are short and you all try to cover as many bases as you can.” Booth also mentioned during the meeting that the Board decided to put more money into asphalt to help improve streets. He said, “I hope to see the city establish a long term plan that includes increasing the budget of streets each year.” Booth noted that he believes the proposed budget has the highest amount of money ever budgeted for streets.
A question was posed by Alderman Donnie Thomas about giving thought to borrowing money to fix streets. Booth said, “That’s not something we need to do. We need to work towards getting out of debt.”
The Simpson County Board of Supervisors recently estimated the cost of repaving roads in the county at $28,000 a mile. The estimate was $20,000 for the actual paving and $8,000 for the preparation of each mile. Booth said that the estimated cost for the City was $90,000 per mile. Possible quick fixes were discussed such as mat and seal but, Alderman Robert Mangum advised that those solutions would only ease the problem for approximately five years. He said it would also lead to more cracked windshields as it deteriorated. Mangum was not opposed to fixing the streets, but stated it would be foolish to do so without first fixing problems with the city’s substructure (sewer and water).
Hopkins asked about the status of street projects slated for this fiscal year. Boot said that they are supposed to be complete by the end of the fiscal year barring any complications from the weather.
According to a summary of the proposed budget the city has a total of $1,487,983 in total revenue for the general fund. Two departments commanded most of the general funds budget. The budget reflects $277,610 has been allocated for the street department. The police department will operate with a budget of $512,237. The city park department will have a budget of $95,585. The city recently had an election which ushered in the current board. This may be the cause for no money being budgeted for the election department. The city budgeted $9,400 in aid to other agencies from the general fund.
The Municipal Fire account reflects a budget $45,840, the water-sewer department has a budget of $561,150, and the solid waste department will have $45,840 according to the proposed budget.
A discussion was also held regarding the tax levy for the upcoming fiscal year. The Simpson County Board of Supervisors revealed in their preliminary budget an expected 3 ½ mill increase next year. Mayor Todd Booth announced that there will be no tax raises from the City of Mendenhall. He said, “We hope to get more businesses and stop more traffic to help increase our tax revenue.”
The following millage shall be assessed to all assessed valuations inside the corporate boundaries of Mendenhall: for general revenue purpose 29.10 mills, municipal fire protection 0.15, mills and solid waste revenue fund 3.40 mills. This brings the total to 32.65 mills on each dollar of assessed valuation.
The Board of Aldermen will vote on the proposed budget and tax levy at the September 5 regularly scheduled meeting.
