Algood Has Initial Conversations About 23-24 Budget

Algood City Council will consider on first reading its budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

City Administrator Keith Morrison said he tries to get the budget process started as early as January to help narrow down the scope of the work as the year comes to a close. He said the focus for next year’s budget includes infrastructure improvements and capital projects like the Old Walton Sewer Project.

“I think we’re good I think we’re solid,” Morrison said. “I think we’re making improvements in the community, I think we’re giving back  and the tax rate’s not going up and the tax rate’s under control so I think it’s a really good budget.”

Morrison proposed a seven percent raise across the board for city employees. Councilman Ron Graves said an across-the-board raise would likely keep the lower-paid employees at the bottom and allow the higher-salaried employees to continue to make more.

“We’ve got some people making $15, $16, $18 an hour and I know the Chief’s (Dale Armour) already told me it’s hard to get people to go to work for $18 an hour,” Graves said. “So what I have sort of suggested last budget cycle and I’m suggesting again, if you start at the low end at someone make $15 to $20 an hour, give them a nine percent raise. That’s going to kick them up from $1.35 to $ $1.80 an hour. It’s going to raise that base. People making from $21 to $30 an hour, give them the seven percent raise. That’s going to cover a whole lot of people in this workforce.”

Councilwoman Ruby Hawkins said the raise is to account for the increased cost of living, not a market adjustment. The council performed a market-based salary adjust the previous fiscal year.

“This has always been quoted as a cost of living adjustment, this is not a market adjustment where we’re looking at everybody across the board, we did that last year,” Vice Mayor Luke Hill said. “(…) We are living. We’re all living in the same word where groceries are ten percent higher and grass is X amount higher. If we’re doing a cost of living, then I think it’s the right thing to do across the board. But I get your point too, is that there’s a disparity there but that’s the market adjustment that’s what we did last year.”

The council will consider the budget at its Tuesday night meeting. Morrison said another plus for starting the budget process early is that it gives him multiple opportunities to make adjustments or changes as needed should the council not pass the budget.