Earle Council hustling to finalize 2017 budget

Earle Council hustling to finalize 2017 budget

City officials working with no mayor to crunch numbers

news@theeveningtimes.com

Earle City Council will sit down this week to put together its 2017 budget and officials are hoping to get it done earlier than in the past.

The city was late getting its 2016 budget finalized, not finishing it until Dec.

28.

Former Mayor Carolyn Jones, who was recently recalled, did not submit a budget to the council on or before the Dec. 1 deadline as required by state law.

“We don’t want to wait until the deadline,” said City Treasurer Cynthia Conner.

This year’s budget will be shepherded by interim Mayor Robert Malone.

The council at its November meeting voted to set budget hearings for Dec. 5, 6, and 8 with an eye on finalizing figures by mid-December.

“Hopefully by the (December) council meeting we can be through,” Conner said.

At least one councilmember expressed a desire to not have the meetings drag on late into the evening as they have in the past.

“I just ask that we don’t stay until 11:30 p.m. or 12,” said Councilwoman Jimmie Barham. “I’m not trying to be funny. But we have done that before.”

Conner said the biggest challenge facing the city is to grow its revenue.

Earle takes in about $34,000 a month.

The city has been struggling with its declining finances. Last year’s budget included about $36,000 in cuts — the biggest savings coming from pay cuts to elected officials.

Six of eight city council members agreed to take a $348 a month pay cut, while another member, Bobby Luckett, agreed to a $200 a month cut. Elected officials are paid $200 a month plus a stipend of $748 a month. The salary cuts saved the city about $24,000 a year.

Officials last year also cut funding to attend the Municipal League meeting which trimmed $6,000 from the budget, and also required employees to pay 25 percent of their insurance premiums.

The city also ended the year by having to cash in a $50,000 certificate of deposit to pay its bills.

Last year’s budget also resulted in a lawsuit.

Resident Frederick Pitchford sued the city claiming the budget it passed was fraudulent and that officials conspired to remove $60,000 from other accounts to balance the books.

By Mark Randall