With less than a week left in this fiscal year, the McMinnville Board of Mayor and Alderman Tuesday night passed a continuing budget until a new budget is passed for 2021-2022 fiscal year. Alderman Stacey Harvey questioned why the budget was not ready for July 1 and Alderman Everett Brock stated that they have the tax nmbers for April and waiting on May to have the best numbers going into the new budget year. Two ordinances are needed to pass a new budget and advertising it to the public, making it impossible to ready by next Thursday. City Attorney Tim Pirtle stated that as long as he has represented the city that a continuing budget has been needed pending the adoption of the final budget. Brock added if the resolution to not pass a continuing budget does not pass the city would shut down next Wednesday June 30.
Alderman Zach Sutton said the board was financially conservative with the departments and showed a savings this fiscal year and wondered why the budget is not ready. Brock said it’s important to have all the right numbers. Harvey said we should use history to predict the future to have a budget on time but Brock said he will not make a budget based on having info for the last three months. Mayor Chastain reinterated that with a short staff in the finance department that in the future they can strive to have a budget ready by July 1 but a continuing budget is needed to keep the city running. The budget passed 6-1 with Stacey Harvey voting against the resolution.