By Lee Weyhrich
PINSON — The Pinson City Council voted unanimously last Thursday to streamline the budget and the way the city reports funds.
The new reporting method will break down larger budgeting categories into their specific parts. The new reporting method will also set scheduling guidelines, but if changes need to be made these guidelines can be adjusted. For example, if a meeting needs to be rescheduled, the city council won’t be held accountable for failing to meet a goal at a certain time.
Pinson City Hall
file photo by Gary Lloyd
“Like our situation in January, where we were iced in for two weeks,” Mayor Hoyt Sanders said. “All sorts of things can interrupt our normal schedule.”
At last month’s city council meeting, Councilman Robbie Roberts suggested changes to the way the council organizes its budget reporting. Under the current system, a single line item might include several sub-categories. Roberts’ plan was to list these sub-categories so the council and the public can better follow where the money is going. The budget would also show where the city is in the current year, compared to the previous year.
Roberts also proposed a resolution regarding monthly reporting. The monthly report would be broken down into four columns to give an even clearer picture of where the council is, with regard to budget, through the year.
Roberts believes these accounting measures will make it easier for city council members and the public to see where the city is financially throughout the year.
The city council voted to table the actual budget until the next meeting pending some changes. The city council next meets Thursday, July 17 at 10 a.m. at Palmerdale Homesteads Community Center.
As part of the annual budget, the city allocates money to each of the schools in the city. Pinson Elementary School has asked the city to approve its annual allocation of $12,500 to build a new ramp for the bus loading zone. The council approved the request unanimously.
