JOHN COFFELTEditor

As of the May 2 Board of Mayor and Aldermen work session, the proposed 2023-24 fiscal budget for Manchester City includes a deficit of $1.3 million, down from the $3.8 million deficit draft that was presented last week to the Budget Committee.

In actuality, the numbers used to calculate the budget are extremely conservative. In recent years, according to Alderman Ryan French, the predicted deficit dries up during the final audit to leave a surplus added to the fund balance.

Two basic schools of thought immerged among the board that sweep from positive to negative. The prevailing thought among the aldermen on the Budget Committee was balance the budget on the front end, then give the departments items on their wish list later in the year when the surplus is more a certainty.

On the other hand, French advocated loosening the purse strings at budget time, list the budget with a deficit, knowing that it will come out in the wash.

Vice Mayor Mark Messick commended the department heads and the finance department for shaving over $2 million from the proposed deficit.

“I want to thank each and every one of you because I know what it means and I appreciate it.

According to Messick, about half the remaining deficit is for committed sidewalk projects. He said that the remaining deficit could be pulled from the overages in the Debt Services line item that has the city’s loan payments secured for at least two years.

Messick asked that in the future the finance department present the board a budget with more realistic numbers.

Alderman Joey Hobbs noted that in some spots the budgets are not reflecting some the growth in revenues, and that is hurting departments.

Finance Director Lisa Myers cautioned the board, “To me it’s dangerous … to be on the borderline of revenue. To me it’s much better to wait until around February-March, see where those numbers are and then do budget amendments so that our departments will have that available to spend or to spend on capital projects.”

The city has an $11 million fund balance cushion.

Hobbs said in his experience in the county and the city, the budget is always sandbagged. But he added that the amount of the swing from negative is substantial.

“That’s a big miss,” Hobbs said. “A million bucks on $13 million is a big miss.”

French said that that an $11 million fund balance was asinine.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.