By Jacque Day
Murray, Ky. – This week CPA Rick Melton presented six years of budget history to the City of Murray Finance/Personnel Committee. The aim: to shed light on financial trends, to aid the council in developing the budget for the upcoming year. City Finance Director Alan Lanier estimates the city will exceed the budget for fiscal year ending 2010 by between $300,000 to $400,000. The previous two years, the city exceeded by a combined $670,000. Administration Director Matt Mattingly says the city has drawn from the reserve to pay for capital projects.
"And they've been all to the council and the council approved them. That's fine. If we continue that trend, eventually it's going to run out."
The previously hot-button topic of a proposed payroll tax seems to have ebbed off in budget discussions, at least for the time being.