Natchez proposes raises for police, fire, public works in $38 million budget

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The budget city officials are preparing for the coming year include pay raises for Natchez police, fire and public works employees who perform what the mayor said are the “core functions of government.”

 

With no property tax increase in the $38 million plan, the proposed expenses to run the city would consume most of its projected revenues with little money – about $27,000 – left for a rainy day.

 

That, said city Alderman Curtis Moroney, “seems awfully close” to a deficit and “scares me a lot.”

 

However, Mayor Dan Gibson expressed optimism the city will be receiving more revenues than expected in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. “These are good days in Natchez,” said Gibson, who pointed to various economic developments that should generate more money for city coffers.

 

The mayor and aldermen met Tuesday to discuss plans for the city’s upcoming budget year that starts Oct. 1.

 

A rough draft of the next budget totals $38 million with the city’s tax millage rate staying the same but a $1.5 million reduction in revenues from what the city has received for the current fiscal year. This includes about $7 million generated from property taxes, which are based on the assessed values of taxpayers’ homes, businesses and other properties.

 

The mayor and Board of Aldermen will hold a public hearing on the budget Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. before it’s finalized.

 

Pay raises are in store for the Natchez police, fire and public works departments to help retain and attract people the city relies on for the first-response and maintenance services they provide. For example, the Natchez Fire Department’s pay increase will equate to at least $2,500 more for each firefighter in the coming year.

 

The proposed budget does include $1 million for street improvements in addition to state and federal grants for other planned city construction projects, such as the Broadway Street Depot park, the Forks to Freedom Corridor and the replacement of the Canal Street bridge.