Gluckstadt poised to adopt budget to get going

GLUCKSTADT — City leaders here are poised to approve a $360,500 budget for the remaining days of Fiscal 2021 that ends Sept. 30.

Officials held a public hearing on the matter during a special called meeting last Thursday.

The vote on adopting the budget is set for the board’s next regularly meeting on Sept. 7 during which they also will hold a public hearing on the city’s proposed $3,543,202 Fiscal 2022 budget that begins Oct. 1.

Gluckstadt was incorporated on June 6 of this year after a hard-fought state Supreme Court battle. Since then the appointed mayor and aldermen have been busy creating the city government and one of the first steps is creating a budget which by law must be done before the city can spend any money. 

The new city is in the process of hiring a city clerk and moving into rented office space, all of which cannot be executed officially until a budget is approved.

Gluckstadt Mayor Pro Temp Lisa Williams said no ad valorem millage will be collected on the remainder of Fiscal 2021.

“The mayor and board will accept no pay,” Williams said. “Currently contracted are legal and planner/consultant, 

new city hall leased with an agreement to pay in arrears, liability insurance and bond company also kindly offered a discount on annual fees and accept arrears later in the year.”

The city has no payroll at this time, Williams said, adding the first employee will be the city clerk.

“The mayor and board also approved the publishing of the city planning/zoning director/building code inspector in a combined role,” Williams said. 

Three people spoke during last Thursday’s public hearing on the budget that includes $5,600 for supplies, $29,836 for personnel services $148,595 for Administrative expenses and $7,000 for street department services.

One of those who spoke was Jeffery Young who asked about the roadways and if there was a budget for road work.

“The city does not have public works scheduled in the budget for the first two years,” said Mayor Walter Morrison. “What we intend to do is rely on the county, at least for these first two years.” 

Morrison said the city anticipates taxes will increase when the public works department is established.

Another resident, Marvin Cox, asked how the budget will impact property taxes on people who live in the city of Gluckstadt compared to what they are paying now per year. 

Morrison said Gluckstadt’s millage rate is expected to be 12 mills, which he said is lower than Canton and Madison. 

Morrison said Canton’s millage rate is about 55 mils, and Ridgeland’s millage rate is about 21 mills. A mill is $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The city’s 2021 fiscal year budget does not have any property taxes built into it, but those taxes will come in the next budget for the Fiscal Year 2022, which begins Oct. 1, Morrison said.

During Thursday’s meeting, the board also discussed the proposed $3,543,203 budget for Fiscal 2022.

The 2022 budget includes licenses and permits, intergovernmental revenues, fines and forfeits, donations and taxes, planning and zoning, and funding first responders such as the police department and fire department.

In other matters during Thursday’s meeting:

• Morrison said he hopes for Gluckstadt meetings to start being live-streamed by next year.

• The board discussed looking at a cash balance budget going forward of more than $160,000 in the next few months.

• The board discussed gathering information on advertising for planning and zoning building inspector candidates and police chief candidates.