With more than 300 square miles of infrastructure to support and thousands of employees to pay, the Memphis City budget is no minor piece of accounting.
This week on WKNO-TV's Behind the Headlines host Eric Barnes discusses Mayor Strickland's 2020 budget proposal with Memphis City Council Chairman Kemp Conrad, councilman Martavius Jones and City of Memphis CFO Shirley Ford, along with Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries.
Conrad calls budget planning "a big operation." The mayor's proposal includes a 3 percent pay increase for police and firemen and a 1 percent raise for all other city employees.
Ford says that while the percentages sound low, the “3 percent raise equals to about $9 million and the 1 percent equals to about $1.5 million.”
Guests also discuss aspects of the budget they believe fall short. Jones says it only has a five-year predicted outlook, but there should be a 10-year outlook plan in order to prepare for the future. Jones also says the city lacks a growing revenue stream, which he would like to see.
Guests also talk about local taxes and the future of Memphis’ finances with regard to development and pension programs.
