During a special called meeting Monday, the Elizabethton City Council voted to continue operating under the 2015-16 fiscal year budget if the 2016-17 Budget is not approved by July 1.
An Elizabethton City Charter requires that the council have a balanced budget in place before the July 1 deadline.
“The hold up this year was the reappraisal,” said City Manager Jerome Kitchens. “We didn’t think we were going to make it in time, but the appraisal came in earlier.”
The Council will meet again during a special called meeting on June 30 to finalize the 2016-17 fiscal year budget.
Earlier this month, during a regular scheduled meeting, council members approved a motion by Councilman Richard Tester to approve an amendment to the upcoming budget for a $500 bonus to full-time city employees and a $250 bonus to part-time city employees along with a 1 percent raise across the board.
During the same meeting, the council approved a $70,000 increase for the Carter County Rescue Squad, moving their line item from $50,000 to $120,000 — the same amount the City funded that agency during the previous year.
Currently, the city has $71,000 of unallocated money. City Manager Jerome Kitchens said in the meeting earlier this month that he will be able work in increase for the rescue squad and the bonuses, but said the council will have to find another way to fund the 1 percent raise.
City Mayor Curt Alexander said that if they could find a way to fund the $70,000 for the raise the amendment will not pass during the second reading.
During Monday’s meeting, the council approved a second reading of a Elizabethton Budget Ordinance Amendment of the 2015-16 budget. The council also passed a resolution to approve the Elizabethton City Schools Budget Ordinance. Also approved on first hearing Monday was the Elizabethton Municipal Airport Budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year.