Full council faces budget vote today
By By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer
Sept. 30, 2002
Two city councilmen cut their respective out-of-town trips short Sunday and drove all day to make it back to Meridian for today's special meeting on the city's budget.
Councilmen convened today at 9 a.m. to decide if next fiscal year's budget which begins Tuesday will include a water rate increase.
Ward 3 Councilman Barbara Henson was celebrating her 51st wedding anniversary in Virginia when she decided to come back to Meridian to try and keep the rates from being raised "if it can be avoided."
The council has until the end of the day to have its spending plan in place so it can fund city government for the next fiscal year.
Councilmen rejected two of the city administration's budget proposals earlier this month that included raising the water rates, and instead approved an $86 million budget without any increase.
But last week, Mayor John Robert Smith said he would veto the council's budget because it did not include a water rate increase.
Without the money, the mayor said, Meridian's budget would be out of balance, threaten the city's credit rating and require budget cuts within the water department.
The mayor originally scheduled a meeting Friday with the council to discuss an 8 percent increase proposal.
In that proposal, residents would see their water rates increase after they use more than 2,000 gallons each month. That plan also would not affect residents who live in public housing no matter how much water they use.
That meeting, however, was rescheduled for today after Smith learned that only two councilmen could attend.
Ward 5 Councilman Bobby Smith, who earlier was not expected to be at today's meeting, said he drove back to Meridian from Kansas on Sunday so he could vote against a water rate increase.
Councilman George Thomas, who represents Ward 1, and council president Mary Perry, who represents Ward 2, both said they plan on voting for the increase again today.
Both Thomas and Perry said they don't see any other option.
Ward 4 Councilman Jesse Palmer Sr., who apparently will cast the deciding vote, said he still isn't sure how he'll vote today.
