By Rita Howell

Batesville’s board of mayor and aldermen last Friday honed the city’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year to just over $26 million, level with the current year’s spending, and sufficient to supply a 2.5 percent cost of living raise for most employees. A public hearing, tentatively set for September 8, will allow input prior to official approval of the budget, expected on September 15. The new fiscal year begins October 1.

The property tax millage rate remains the same as it has since 2006: 28.05. 

CPA Bill Crawford of Will Polk and Company presented updated budget figures reflecting cuts, new projects and estimates for raises for city employees, who annually receive a half percent longevity raise. The 2.5 percent raise approved Friday by the board amounts to a 3 percent cost of living raise. 

In addition, the budget includes a benefit package from Air Evac for medical transport by air for employees of the City of Batesville and members of their households.

Closed session

As they finalized expenditure projections, the board members moved into an executive session to discuss salaries for several individuals.

Afterward, Mayor Jerry Autrey reported that the board had agreed to raise the pay of street department weed trimmers to $10 per hour, with no cost of living raise.

Aldermen also raised the salaries of Rodney Alewine, assistant superintendent of the Water and Sewer Dept., and Bobby Moore of the Street Dept., both receiving $100 per month increases.

The hourly rate of Terry Smith in the Water Dept. was raised $1 an hour, and the new gas superintendent, Terry Pittman, received a $300 per month raise.

Back in open session, the board approved a one-time extra contribution of $10,000 to the Panola Partnership, after a request by the Panola County Board of Supervisors which had sought to reduce its funding of the local economic development entity by $20,000.

Alderman Eddie Nabors reminded the board that the Partnership had recently acquired a grant for the city in the amount of $300,000.

“If we’d had to hire a grant writer, we’d have had to pay a finder’s fee,” Nabors said. 

The motion passed unanimously, with Aldermen Stan Harrison, Ted Stewart, Bill Dugger and Nabors supporting it. Alderman Teddy Morrow was not at the meeting.

The board tentatively set a public hearing for the budget on Monday, September 8 at 6 p.m. at city hall.