JOHN COFFELTEditor

The Manchester Finance Committee hopes to have the city budget finished by early August for the fiscal year that began July 1.

Until the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approves the new budget the city will simply operate under last year’s budget.

Chairman of Finance Joey Hobbs said the delay was due to the 2022-23 budget audit is not complete and the city cannot operate under two open unaudited budgets. The city expects the audit sometime this month.

The Finance Committee recently began working in earnest on the new budget with a series of work sessions and regular meetings that will continue into August.

During the July 8 work session, the Police, Street and Water and Sewer departments presented a wish list of large expenses.

Manchester Police requested additional funds for four new patrol cars and four additional officers. The Street Department requested four new heavy equipment operators, a new knuckle boom truck and $1.1 million in paving money. The Water Department, which operates under a separate budget, asked for five new positions, five new trucks, a mix of light duty pickups to a large one-ton truck, and a crane truck. The sewer plant will need approximately $1.5 million in capital repairs plus the construction of a pole barn to store pipes which are susceptible to damage from extended storage in the sun.

The water department’s budget will likely need to dip into reserves to a level below the state required amount.

Finance Committee members, however, are cautiously optimistic about the city’s overall revenues for the upcoming year.

Vice Mayor Mark Messick said he would like to see all the city’s department requests granted this year.

“I hope there aren’t any no’s this year,” Messick said. “I’m willing to use some surplus … I’m betting that the revenues are going to increase enough. This is going to be a good year and we can give everybody everything they want.”

Hobbs was more cautious in his assessment of the revenues.

“I am committed to helping find everything that’s available to do what is requested,” he said.

Hobbs suggested that the city form anticipate the next five years’ growth. Each department should then be tasked with forming individual five-year plans to address that growth.

Hobbs said the city is behind and needs to fundamentally change how it operates regarding spending.

“Finally, we get to the end goal of being able to do the job correctly,” Hobbs said. “We are operating these departments like it’s the early-2000’s.”

The Finance Committee met after press time on July 15 and 16 to discuss the budget and then call additional meeting throughout the month as needed with the goal of having a completed budget to present to the BOMA at the Aug. 6 meeting. The budget is passed by ordinance and will require two readings.

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.