City proposes budget
V. Hugh Lewis II
Jefferson Jimplecute
The Jefferson City Council took a final stab at balancing the 2023-24 City Budget Tuesday night, making an additional $379,500 in cuts.
The City is still proposing a deficit budget of $433,000 which they plan on drawing from savings if needed. The deficit funds are an estimate on what they City may have to pay on outstanding federal and state litigation.
The largest of the cuts was the $240,000 in the 2024 streets program but Jefferson Mayor Rob Baker said the City is already rolling forward $325,000 from 2023, so work will still be happening next year.
Other trims came in the form of scaling back various budgeted items which had not been utilized over the last several years, as well as including additional sales tax revenue from the newly opened O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, the pending opening of the Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken restaurant, and the potential of uncollected utility receipts.
The City will hold a public hearing on the budget at 6:30 p.m. Thursday September 14, at the Transportation Center. There will also be a public hearing on the tax rate at 6:30 p.m. Friday, September 15, also at the Transportation Center.
In other business, Council approved an event appliation for the 2023 National Night Out event scheduled for October 3 in front of the Transporatation Center.
The event is sponsored by Citizens for a Better Community, is open to the public, and brings out first responders and others to help inform the community on available services. It is part of the National Night Out program.