Jackson Free Press

Mayor Tony Yarber said his first budget proposal, presented Wednesday to the city council, "mixes aspiration with reality, hope with hard truth and inspiration with intractable assessments of yet another difficult fiscal year ahead."

Part of that difficulty will come from Yarber's proposal to slash city spending by one-fifth, about $110 million, compared to the $502 million the city council adopted last year. But despite the more than 20 percent in suggested reductions, Yarber said his plan includes neither job cuts nor tax increases.

"This budget reflects a dedication to children and public safety," Yarber said in a hastily convened special council meeting for his first budget address.

"It understands the importance of private investment," he said. "It allows the city to maintain its current commitment to community programming and job creation. It begins the task of addressing critical repairs to our infrastructure, but it also reflects the commitment of this administration and the citizens of Jackson to be wise in the use of its expenditures."

Overall, the budget for the 2015 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, projects $392.5 million in expenditures and revenues of $510.3 million. For the current fiscal year, the city council adopted a budget that anticipated $610 million in revenues.

So far, through June, the city has collected revenues worth $262.3 million. Although the budget does not include staffing reductions, Yarber said his administration plans to think cautiously about hiring decisions and anticipates some savings through attrition.

"We're not necessarily putting a freeze on hiring, but we are making sure that the positions we're filling are what we're calling essential positions," Yarber told reporters after the budget meeting.

Most of the proposed savings would come from a 53-percent decrease in the city's capital budget, specifically a reduction of about $17 million in the capital projects fund and $81.5 million related to water-sewage disposal.

Yarber said his administration plans to start forecasting three to five years out, which would help with priority-based budgeting, as well as streamlining the city's grant application process.

Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps lauded the city's department of administration for preparing the proposal.

"Sometimes you have to prune in the present in order to bloom in the future," Stamps said.

Budget hearings will commence Monday, Aug. 25, at 9 a.m. State law requires the council to adopt a budget by Sept. 15.