By Nathan Prewet, For the Tribune
PINSON, Ala.–The Pinson City Council passed the city’s budget at its meeting on Thursday, Nov. 7 after months of delays.
The subject of the budget has been a point of some contention between council members in their previous meetings.
Former Mayor Joe Cochran was tasked with handling the budget but his condition with ALS became a concern for some as the vote on the budget faced significant delays.
After his death in September, Councilor Robbie Roberts was sworn in as mayor.
Previously, an audit report delivered in June showed some problems with bookkeeping due to a new accounting software system and shortages with the staff. The city did not have a budget during that time.
After this audit was delivered, the council began discussions over the next few months on developing a new budget.
Finally, during the pre-council portion of Thursday’s meeting, the recently appointed Roberts brought forward a proposal after Councilor Brad Walker had urged him to complete one at the last meeting. Roberts said that he met with staff to write the proposal, who found it satisfactory.
“And at this juncture, they feel like it’s okay to have a budget proposal, or a budget, that they could load in that will not impair their work moving forward, so that was a good first step,” Roberts said.
He began an overview, beginning by stating that the proposal was put together to abide by the “spirit” of state law which requires cities that have a budget to only budget expenditures of 90% of their expected revenues.
He said that he believed the law’s intent was to allow for cities with no reserves or minimal reserves to have a “rainy day” fund, which he said was “not a problem” for Pinson.
He went on to explain the rest of the proposal and noted the income portion of it, which was $4,146,660, including a transfer from savings of $400,000. The proposed budget had total expenses numbering $4,132,599.
The $400,000 could be put back into savings by the end of the year, Roberts said. He added that this differential should meet the 10% requirement by law for a 10% in reserve. Walker disagreed with that particular part.
“I mean you’re hiding, and hiding is not the right word, you’re masking the fact that we need to cut the budget somewhere because we don’t expect the revenue to be as much,” Walker said.
Though Roberts disagreed, a discussion followed that eventually ended with an agreement to increase the expected local sales tax revenue at $3,200,000 instead of the transfer. Walker believed that the change would meet the 10%.
Additionally, Roberts included an increase in funding for the fire districts. A previous proposal in the past included $20,000 for Center Point and Palmerdale, and Glenwood at $1,500. The new proposal now increases it to $100,000 for each district. He also proposed a discretionary account similar to the ones for schools. These could be used for station expansions and maintenance issues, he said.
“This is an important step,” said Walker. “And it’s going to go a long way in helping us get grants and other business the city needs to accomplish.”
The budget was approved unanimously during the regular meeting.
Towards the end of the meeting Roberts brought up appointing a new mayor pro-tem, with Councilor Glenda Kirkland nominating Councilor John Churchwell, who was elected after a 3-2 two vote. Councilors Clinteshia Irvin and Walker opposed the motion.
Roberts also announced that applications to Council Place 3, the position he held before becoming mayor, were closed and that eight people have applied for it.
In other business the council:
- Annexed 3147 Sleepy Hollow Drive,
- Granted a request to allocate $1,500 to the Rudd Middle School girls basketball team for transportation,
- Purchased a copier for $6,259,
- Announced that the Pinson Valley High School football team was given the funds from a private donor to giveaway turkeys before Thanksgiving,
Pinson City Council meets on the first and third Thursdays of every month at City Hall on 4410 Main Street. Live-streamed meetings can be seen on the city’s Facebook page.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.
The full budget approved by the council can be viewed below:
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