City Approves 2013 Budget

The Monticello City Council, with all members present, met in a called meeting Tuesday evening and passed the city’s annual budget on a 3-2 vote, with Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Jacobs and Councilperson Katherine Alexander dissenting.

As soon as Mayor Bryan Standifer opened the meeting Mr. Jacobs made a motion to add a resolution to the agenda which was unanimously approved. The resolution was to adopt a policy whereby no capital expenditures will be made without documentation of adequate revenues to fund the expenditure having been received.

Mr. Standifer explained that the resolution simply meant that no funds would be spent on capital expenditures until the funds were available.

Mr. Jacobs then made a motion to approve the resolution which was seconded by Ms. Alexander. The motion passed on a 3-2 vote with Councilpersons Randy Stroizer and Cornell Williams dissenting.

At this point Councilperson Larry Thurman made a motion to accept the millage rate of 6.9 mills, the same as 2011, which was seconded and passed unanimously.

{{more}}

Mr. Jacobs then made a motion to approve the annual budget for 2013 (July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2012) as written. His motion was seconded by Ms. Alexander, after which the mayor called for discussion.

Mr. Thurman immediately questioned the budget item of building a city shop on city owned property on Post Road at a projected cost of $77,000, which would move the city shop from the old fire station on Forsyth Street.

Mr. Strozier said the city could hire two full-time police officers with benefits for the cost of the building, and that he thought public safety was more important than a city shop, which he contended would eventually cost more than the $77,000 because the property needed to be cleaned of waste products.

Mr. Jacobs countered that the building was first put into motion in 2004, but never got finished due to bad economic conditions. He added that we now have an opportunity to change that and make conditions better for all departments in the city. He agreed that public safety was important but added that the other departments in the city were also important and that an oversight committee could be put in place to monitor the construction of the new shop.

Ms. Alexander addressed the question of bio-waste being on the property intended for the shop by saying the city was only waiting for the state to remove it. She added that she would like to see a study of similar sized cities as Monticello to see how they budget their priorities.

Mr. Standifer said that to add two police officers would put the city back where it was four years ago and that the budget wouldn’t bear the cost. He added that in keeping with the new Capital Expenditure Resolution that had been approved earlier in the meeting, that the proposed new shop is a capital expenditure and unless the funds become available it won’t be built.

At this point Mr. Thurman attempted to make a motion, but was reminded that there was a motion on the table to approve the budget as written, which had been seconded.

Mr. Jacobs then withdrew his motion for a vote on the budget and Ms. Alexander withdrew her second of the motion.

This allowed Mr. Thurman to make a motion to amend the budget to take surplus vehicles out of the budget and add one full time police officer, which would increase the budget by $23,000 and to be taken out of the fund balance (emergency fund) reducing it to $75,609.

Mr. Thurman’s motion was seconded by Mr. Williams and passed by a 3-2 vote with Mr. Jacobs and Ms. Alexander dissenting.

Mr. Standifer then called for a motion to vote on the budget. Mr. Strozier made that motion and it was seconded by Mr. Williams and passed on a 3-2 vote with Mr. Jacobs and Ms. Alexander once again dissenting.

Prior to the final vote the discussion became so lively at one point that the mayor had to gavel it down. After the final vote and prior to a dismissal prayer by Mr. Strozier, the mayor reminded the council that they needed to do their homework prior to meetings, and that they also needed to be civil to each other. He added that the people depend on us to make the right decision and that he would not accept any council member being uncivil and demanded that they respect each other.