WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. April 25, 2006: City Councilman Benjamin Boykin, interviewed by WPNCR said the Budget & Management Committee was in the process of “formulating” its suggestions for the proposed $146 Million City Budget. Boykin told this reporter the committee was taking a hard look at the $500,000-plus overtime requested by the Department of Public Safety, but the Department had not yet given the Committee the detailed analysis of why the overtime was required as requested by the Council last week. ”We still want to get that analysis,” Boykin said, “before we make any decision.”

Boykin reports another issue is the city’s Reserve for Financing, that Boykin said was usually 1% of budget, but currently is budgeted for 7/10 of 1%.

The Councilman  revealed the Committee is concerned about how the city is being run, and managed. He said, “We’ve had a lot of growth, and we need to look at the city again, to see whether we have the right people doing the right things.” The councilman did not elaborate.

On the revenue front, Councilman Boykin said that Budget Director Anne Reasoner said the city was “on target” to make its project $42.5 Million sales tax projection, and that the missing 3 days of sales tax from the second quarter would be coming in along with a figure for the third quarter (January through March) by the end of the week.

Don Hughes, a citizen in attendance told WPCNR, this evening that Mayor Delfino, observing the meeting said that his staff and City Commissioners would be receiving raises in line with city labor contracts (4%).