Aldermen approve $8.9 million budget

Aldermen approve $8.9 million budget

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Aldermen voted to approve a new $8.9 million budget during last Tuesday’s meeting and won’t raise taxes.

They set the tax levy at 20 mills for the General Fund and 55 mills for the Philadelphia Public School District maintenance and 4.65 mills for school debt service. There is no increase from the current fiscal year budget, which ends Sept. 30.

The General Fund budget projects $8,919,750 in revenues and $8,923,481 in expenses, a difference of -$3,731.

A big part of the revenue is sales tax rebates. The city collects sales tax for the state and receives a portion of that money back monthly. The city is projecting $5,392,050 for the new fiscal year.

The city is projecting $4 million in carryover funds when the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1. It is necessary to budget that way because the city won’t begin to collect property taxes until the first of 2023 and operating money is necessary.

In other actions, the board voted to:

• Approve a resolution to apply for the federal ARPA Infrastructure Grant through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. 

The city is applying for the $1.5 million grant for Philadelphia Utilities to be used for repairs of the sewage lagoon. Aldermen also voted to hire Allen & Hoshell to engineer the ARPA DEQ project;

• Approve paying A&B Mechanical Inc. $14,500 out of Bond B for a new air conditioning unit at City Hall;

• Approve the purchase of a copier in Court Services from Purvis Business Machines totaling $5,995. The money came out of bond B money;

• Not to approve the payment of $3,954 to D’s Construction for work on renovations at Court Services. Aldermen Justin Clearman, Jim Fulton and James Waltman all voted “no” because the board had not pre-approved the expenditure;

• Accept the resignation of Kim Wooten as payroll clerk effective Sept. 21;

• Accept the resignation of Terry Boyd with the Street Department. Aldermen voted to hire Kendrick Day with the Street Department at $9 per hour;

• Approve a C Spire road bore along Highway 16 to Bullock Auto World;

• Set a public hearing date for Oct. 4 for the rezoning of 326 A&B Main Street from R1 to C2. Aldermen also voted to continue the hearing on Water Avenue until the next meeting;

• Accept a quote from AirTight Insulation of $5,415 for repairs to the East Central Community College Diesel Tech building at the Old US Motors plant;

• Accept the resignation of Melissa Shackelford from the Police Department. Aldermen also accepted the resignation of Adam Muela from police dispatch;

• Approve the hiring of Justis Lilley as Patrolman 1st class at $16.06 an hour






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