Some Metro Council members are beginning to wonder if accelerating the city’s budget timeline was such a good idea.
A charter amendment, approved by Davidson County voters, moved the mayor’s budget proposal deadline up by two months from May 25th to March 25th. It was seen by many as a jab at the former administration under Mayor Bill Purcell and Finance Director David Manning.
The new questions come after one year’s experience and a new administration at the helm. Councilman Rip Ryman asked Finance Director Rich Riebeling last week if he could use more time.
RYMAN: “Would it be advantageous for the administration or the city as a whole if we was to submit a charter change back to have this presented back to the May 25th that we did before.”
RIEBELING: “Yes.” Laughter
Riebeling says at this early date the city will never have hard figures for the next year’s tax revenues.
Not everyone in the Council is sold on returning to the old schedule. Nothing has changed the rule that the Mayor’s budget automatically goes into effect if the Council doesn’t pass something by July 1st. Councilman Jim Gotto says going back would saddle the body with picking apart a 1.5-billion dollar budget in just 30 days.
GOTTO: “I know for three years it was up here and we ran down the hill and tried to pass something. I know there were a couple of times that some of the things we passed we wish we hadn’t.”
Gotto says he doesn’t oppose giving some time back to the administration, so long as that budget isn’t the fallback plan.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM