Abbott explains why he plans to vote against budget

City Council will vote to approve the 2016 budget on Tuesday night following a formality meeting tonight of the finance committee. I will again be voting against the grain and felt there should be some explanation.

This administration has a real talent for moving focus from the real issue onto something that really is just a distraction. Instead of talking about our overall management issues we have only really talked about one department and one sub-department (the Fire department and Thunder Bayou) that represents less than 1% of the total budget. The budget process was held up for 4 weeks to get information that, when received, was totally disregarded.

In Thursday night's finance committee a letter from city attorney Mike Bearden was shared with the council.

In it, Mr. Bearden states that the sales tax revenues "may be used for the payment of salaries for members of ....Blytheville Fire Department." In another statement later in the letter he says, "if the council wants to remove any doubt" this ordinance should be amended or new one adopted. The committee felt that it was a problem to change this wording to try to save four firefighter positions. This letter was in response to a request from the fire department to re-adjust their expenses for the year in order to save those positions.

Also in that meeting, there was a refusal to consider a request from one of their committee members the funding of Thunder Bayou through August in order to allow time for budget revisions to work and for citizens input even though they have reduced their proposal by 20%.

They did back off sending the budget to the full council to gather more information, which allows slight possibility for a change of heart. In addition we received an architectural rendering of the new repurposing of Thunder Bayou as if that was something already approved. We also were informed that we couldn't get out of part of our lease agreement without getting out of all of it, which is ridiculous from a business point of view.

My biggest problem with this budget is the defunding of the parks system from the general fund. Here are a few facts regarding our parks system and their budget.

General fund alone supported our parks through 2007 averaging around $1.2 million per year. In 2007 the citizens voted in a 1/4 cent sales tax and that year's budget was $1.9 million. From that time until last year the budget was reduced approximately 40% overall and 80% from general fund. This year's budget further reduces those numbers to around 60% and 100% respectively. No other department has taken cuts even remotely close. The sales tax that was approved by the citizens for the enhancement of our parks will now be used to maintain a park system of far less value and fewer amenities.

The explanation for that reduction is that we've lost revenue. The reality is that even with the loss of over $1 million in turn-back funds over the past few years due to loss of population, it has been more than offset by far more than $2 million in special taxes which have been approved by our citizens. Even with a loss of revenue, it would be wrong to totally or unequally defund any department,

While I am in total agreement that cuts are a necessity and that quality of life is not as important as public safety and health, it is my opinion that our biggest problem is not with lack of money but continues to be our inability to manage the funds we have.

There is much more to be said and much more has happened that never makes it into the newspaper, but you the citizens of this city need to remember it is your city and not allow yourself to be misled by those who would try to manipulate the truth. I believe along with many others much of the drama with this budget has been both a slap on the hand for a refusal of the recently proposed sales tax and a preparation for the (near) future proposal of another sales tax. Good government will always prove accountability before requesting a bailout.

-- Councilman Tommy Abbott

Blytheville City Council