News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Crossville City Council got its first look at a $17.6 million budget Thursday night during a budget work session.
The council’s biggest issue during the nearly two-hour session focused on health insurance costs and trying to understand what made up the numbers. The city’s insurance plan does not align with the budget meaning the city has to predict January increases.
“Since we don’t know the number, we err on the side of caution,” Crossville City Manager Greg Wood said.
Finance Manager Fred Houston said he would try to more clearly define what made up the numbers budgeted.
The council also asked the city manager to amend the current budget to include minimum raises for city employees, especially those at the lowest levels of city government. Wood said the change would mean about a $65,000 addition to the budget.
Crossville froze wages when the COVID-19 outbreak began. That included the second piece of a citywide pay increase plan. That plan implemented more than $600,000 in salary increases among all employees in phase one. The second phase this year would have cost about $200,000, Wood said. He told council members earlier this month he planned to leave that out of this budget until the full effects of the COVID-19 shutdown could be determined.
The city also reduced its street paving budget by some $200,000. Wood said he made significant cuts to the sidewalk budget.
