By Brewer Turley
MEIGS — According to one resident, a $500,000 proposed budget is threatening to sink the City of Meigs.
Andrew Wurst said the “extravagant” budget places too much of a burden on city taxpayers. He also takes issue with the current city council making decisions about the city’s financial future.
“We’re in a grave situation in Meigs. We do not have an elected mayor, and two councilmen who have resigned,” Wurst said. “No date for an election has been set. No appointments have been made.”
In October, Meigs Mayor Harold Cook resigned, followed by council members D.W. Bell and Cheryl Kicklighter-Hall. The council is now comprised of Mayor Pro-Tem Annie Doris Lovejoy, Ralph Nixon, June B. Layton and Levon Gassett.
Meigs City Clerk Debrah G. Smith said an election to replace the resigned council members and mayor has been discussed but no date has been set. The election will likely take place in February.
Current council members are expected to take action on the proposed budget Thursday, Dec. 28. at 6 p.m.
General fund expenditures in the proposed budget total $505,400 — the exact amount of revenue the city expects to draw to fund the budget. The proposed budget is $33,175 more than the city’s 2006 budget of $472,225.
Some 71 percent of the revenue to fund the budget — $358,425 — is expected to come from local taxes. Almost 14 percent of the revenues — $70,000 — will come from charges for services according to the proposed budget.
More than 42 percent of the city’s budget will go to the Meigs Police Department. That department lists expenditures of $216,100 in the proposed budget. General government is slated to spend $187,650 — about 37 percent of the expenditures.
The sanitation department will receive $55,100; streets and sidewalks will receive $46,225, and the recreation department will get $325 according to the proposed budget.
Wurst said the proposed budget is another example of the city’s financial irresponsibility. Earlier this year, it was discovered that city officials authorized transfers of funds from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) into general government accounts, which is not allowed by Georgia law.
“The general public does not have access to immediate information on where the city stands. The closest I can come to an official financial report of the city is December 31, 2004,” Wurst said.
According to records Wurst obtained from the Georgia Department of Revenue, the City of Meigs went over budget for at least four years in a row. Beginning in 2001, the city was $85,743 over budget at the end of the year; $97,567 over in 2002; $204,899 over in 2003; and $266,541 over in 2004.
Wurst said budget records that would show debt for 2005 and 2006 were not available.
“The public doesn’t know where we stand. I don’t know if the mayor and council know where we stand or not, based on the extravagant budget they’re proposing,” he said.
Councilman Ralph Nixon said he plans on taking a hard look at the budget before giving his approval.
“I think it might be a little too much for the community. We haven’t really been that deep into it as far as being over budget or not being able to pay the bills. But we’re in kind of a tight spot now,” Nixon said.
Nixon said the ultimate goal of the budget should be making the city’s payroll and funding general government. He also said meeting budget needs in a small town like Meigs can be a challenge.
“We’re just trying to pay all the bills with the money we’ve got. We don’t want to take money from other areas. We pay the bills but we struggle trying to meet the budget each month,” Nixon said. “I find in small towns, that’s usually the case.”
Nixon said despite the recent resignations, the remaining members of the council will be able to make informed decisions on the budget.
“I think we have pretty good knowledge of the budget. We know what’s going on and we can make the decision to go on with it,” he said.
At the very least, Wurst said three citizens should be appointed to the council before budget proposals continue.
“Then we can pass a budget — a realistic budget that is not so extravagant,” Wurst said. “The only thing this budget will lead to is higher taxation.”
Wurst said Meigs only has about 1,090 residents, 38 percent of which are under the age of 17. He said if $358,425 in expected tax revenues were divided among the approximately 290 households in Meigs, the average cost per household would be about $1,235 — not counting taxes levied by Thomas County.
“Realistically, that’s just not practical,” Wurst said.
A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held Friday, Dec. 15, at Meigs City Hall, beginning at 10 a.m.
To contact reporter Brewer Turley, call (229) 226-2400, ext. 226.
