By Jason C. Mattox

After meeting for four hours last Thursday, Batesville aldermen had a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

CPA Bill Crawford, of Will Polk and Associates, told city leaders that cuts made by superintendents and amendments to the current year’s budget moved the city from a nearly $2 million deficit to $200,000 positive, with no tax increase.

Crawford said the city will increase water and sewer rates by three percent and garbage rates to $11.

City Clerk Laura Herron asked department heads to cut their budgets, “and they came back with $1.4 million in cuts,” he said.

“As far as I know, the only thing we really need to determine is whether or not we will have a cost of living increase,” he said.

Discussion of raises and insurance took up the majority of the evening’s meeting.

The first pay increases to be discussed were certification raises for Brett Childs, John McCollum and Andy Berryhill, who completed part-time police officer certification earlier this year.

“It has been a tradition with this board that when you get a certification, we do give an additional $100 per month,” Herron said.

Mayor Jerry Autrey said he would not support the raises because “there’s nothing going on at the code office.”

Ward 3 Alderman Stan Harrison said he wouldn’t support the increase because of the salaries already being paid to the employees.

“I just can’t justify giving this increase,” he said. “John is my buddy, but he needs to be riding and writing tickets, and those trucks are parked over at the office a lot.”

Ward 2 Alderman Ted Stewart said he was concerned that the city had a usual procedure.

“If we are going to give those increases then everybody needs to get them when they get certified,” he said. “Otherwise we need to say we are not going to give raises with certifications.”

Police Chief Tony Jones said his officers do not receive the additional salary for certifications.

“I have officers over there that have certifications up and down both arms, but they don’t get an additional salary. They see it as part of the job,” he said.

After more discussion, aldermen relented and voted to give the increases.

“They did have to go to classes on the weekend and we asked them to do this,” Ward 1 Alderman Bill Dugger said.

City leaders then moved on to cost of living increases for employees.

“I know we need to be able to do something, but we also have to figure there is going to be an increase in insurance,” Harrison said.

Harrison told fellow aldermen he would support a one percent increase.

“That’s not going to seem like much, but it is more than a lot of cities have been able to do,” he said.

Other aldermen proposed a two percent increase, the number to be included in the next round of budget figures.

Aldermen were scheduled to meet again early this week to further discuss pay increases.

As for insurance, the projected budget does not include any increase in cost.

“We know that an increase is coming, but we don’t know how much they are going to be until our renewal period in May,” Crawford said.

Aldermen will discuss insurance with local agent Brad Clark of Clark Insurance.

The public hearing for the proposed budget will be held Sept. 8 after the regular meeting.