SPRINGDALE -- The City Council on Tuesday voted 8-0 to table a vote on the 2021 city budget.
Members took the action before comments from citizens, before the minutes from the last meeting were approved and as soon as City Clerk Denise Pearce finished the roll call.
Council member Mike Lawson made a motion for the tabling. It received a second by Amelia Williams.
Mayor Doug Sprouse last month submitted to the council an operating budget of $56,463,695 for 2021. Council members as a committee of the whole met with various department heads Nov. 30, Dec. 2 and Monday to review their requests for funding next year.
The council will meet Monday night for a final review of the budget, with department heads in attendance to answer any lingering questions from council.
The council will vote on approval of the budget during the regular City Council meeting Dec. 22.
"The City Council needs to do our job, do our due diligence and not overspend," Lawson said. "There's no better time to review our spending than when the city's in great financial shape."
City officials will start the year with nearly $10 million in the bank from spending less than allotted in 2020, Laura Favorite, director of financial services, told the council. That's money not represented as revenue on an accounting ledger.
Lawson said the uncertainty of the times should slow down the review by the council. He pointed to a new presidential administration and covid-19 as reasons.
"We'll get it passed, probably with a few adjustments," Lawson said.
Lawson said he made his motion to table early in the meeting, so the department heads in attendance could go home. With the tabling, the council would end discussion of the budget, so city staff members weren't needed to answer questions.
Lawson noted the mayor did his job by presenting the budget to the council by Dec. 1, as required by state law.
The department heads did their jobs by explaining their needs and wants for 2021, he said.
"I don't blame the department heads. I don't blame the mayor," Lawson said. "There's just no sense to rush our job."
The budget process takes time for many good reasons, said council member Kathy Jaycox. Council members need to get their questions answered, she said.
Jaycox noted some members of the council are seeking more answers, but she needs none at this point.
Williams at the end of Monday's budget meeting expressed some concerns with funding for staff of the city's Public Library, which remains closed because of covid-19.
Librarian Marcia Ransom noted the library is open by appointment and for curbside pickup. The staff has served patrons with 4,500 curbside deliveries, 2,000 appointments and has used the time to deep clean and reorganize the shelves and books.
She noted 11 staff positions have not been filled, saving the city about $200,000.
Williams asked Ransom to return to next week's budget meeting. Williams said she was unprepared at the time to ask questions about the new information.
"It's more important to get it done right than to get it done fast," Sprouse said of the budget. "We'll get it wrapped up before the end of the year. We're in good shape."
City staff finished the proposed budget late this year, Sprouse admitted. Covid-19, the addition of Bethel Heights, merging the capital improvements fund with the operating budget and the financial services staff moving to new offices the week after Thanksgiving all made the budget process slower than usual, he said.
State law says the council must adopt a budget by Feb. 1.
But if a budget isn't adopted by Jan. 1, the council must pass a special appropriation measure allowing the city to spend money until a budget is adopted, Morgan said.
Laurinda Joenks can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWALaurinda.