City Council approves 2013 budget
Madison Chamber of Commerce presents Sci-Quest a check during Monday night's City Council meeting for 1,824.70 from funds raised during Blue Jeans at Blue Pants. Blue Pants Brewery hosted the event in honor of Paul Finley in October shortly before his term as mayor concluded.
Madison’s City Council approved the annual budget for the fiscal year of 2013 at its meeting Monday night.
Operating funds for 2013 are set at $28.3 million. “We’ve got a great budget going forward,” Mayor Troy Trulock said.
On Tuesday Trulock said the city expects to bring in $28.5 million in 2013.
Trulock made cuts to arrive at a balanced budget. “We reduced the budget $9.4 million from what department heads were requesting,” Trulock said.
At the council meeting Trulock said he and the council will watch expenditures and revenues throughout the year and will review the budget if needed.
The council appointed Councilman Gerald Clark and former Councilman Steve Haraway to Place 3 and 4, respectively, to the Madison water and wastewater board. Council member Tim Holcombe was the lone dissenter, voting against the appointment of Haraway who was on the water board until he left his position on the council in early November to join the Madison County Commission.
Holcombe wanted to defer appointments to the board until a later date to allow time to discuss which issues matter to what council members.
Holcombe stressed the issue of Madison not having developed a water map yet. “If we ever have a disaster, woe is this city,” Holcolmbe said.
No other council members wanted to delay the vote.
Council President Tommy Overcash was most vocal for going ahead with the vote, one reason being the water board meeting before the next City Council meeting.
Overcash also did not see a need to know the stances of council members. “Historically we do not pick board members based on certain key issues,” Overcash said.
Holcombe disagreed with Overcash. “I would hope we would appoint people on board with getting our city mapped.”
Other appointments council made during the meeting include three people to the Madison Station Historic Preservation Commission, with Elbert Balch in Place 1, Teddy Powell in Place 2, and Dennis Vaughn in Place 3, and Larry Mason to Place 3 of the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals.
