Council fails to adopt new budget for ’25

The Forrest City City Council failed to take action on the city’s proposed budget for 2025 during Tuesday’s council meeting. The council’s budget committee held its first meeting last week to discuss $34.2 million budget proposed by Mayor Larry Bryant. Committee chairman Marvin Metcalf and committee member Rick Hirons did not attend this week’s council meeting. “Do this have to be approved tonight?” asked councilman Jim Bailey. “Unless you want to put some undue pressure on yourself. You can look at it again. We’ve been pushing this down the road for a minute,” said Bryant. “People don’t call or ask for input. Alderman (Cornescha) Wright asked for some. We can schedule another meeting when Metcalf and Hirons are here.” The council agreed to meet again on Monday, Dec. 30, to consider the budget. Councilman Justin Reeves asked Wright, who is also a member of the budget committee, if the committee had reached a conclusion or had a recommendation for the council on the budget. “We didn’t. We just went over the budget items. The ShotSpotter was the only correction made,” said Wright in reference to money for the ShotSpotter system not being included in the original budget proposal. On the motion, Reeves, Wright, Bailey and Lowry Astin voted against the resolution. Council members Danny Capps and Louise Fields voted for it. “You all need to pick a date you want to come back and whatever problems you have with this budget present them so we can put it in the new budget,” said Bryant. “If you don’t want to pass this budget, you can pass a continuing resolution and continue with the budget you have this year and that’s the end of that.” Bryant again asked council members to contact him regarding issues with the budget. In other business, Reeves clarified a motion made at the Dec. 3 council meeting allowing elected officials, including council members, to receive the same bonuses as employees. City employees received two bonuses this year – $1,000 in the summer and $1,000 at Christmas. After the Dec. 3 motion, council members received $1,000 bonuses but not the summer bonus. City Clerk Derene Cochran said that when listening to the recording from that meeting she did not hear that the bonuses for council members was to include both bonuses. “If you want to make that motion make it clear what you’re trying to say because the auditors look at all of this and you’re doing this for the sake of the auditors,” said Cochran. Wright said she listened to her recording of the meeting, in which she seconded Reeve’s motion on the bonuses. At that time she asked if the bonuses would be for all of the year and the council voted to approve them for all of 2024. “Ok, so that’s what you need to put in your motion,” said Cochran. “That’s what was in m original motion,” said Reeves. “You didn’t say mid-year. You have to specify,” said Cochran. “I am not accepting responsibility of not making the correct motion the first time, but I will redo my motion,” said Reeves. “I make a motion that all elected officials, per dollar amount through the year of 2024, receive the exact same bonuses whether that be $1 or $100,000. Whatever that was, every elected official gets the exact same bonus as my motion.” Bailey seconded the motion. The council also heard an update on the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program for which the city is seeking a grant to make improvements across the city. Before adjourning, Bryant recognized Capps for 25 years of service to the city as both a member of the planning commission and city council. The council agreed to pay general bills of $36,920.98, street bills of $18,660.28, solid waste bills of $43,954.30 and water bills of $57,345.10

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