City Council to get first look at Mayor Andy Berke’s budget

Chattanooga City Hall

As Chattanoogans recover from an Obama hangover today, they will get their first peek at Mayor Andy Berke’s proposed 2014 budget.

City Council members are confident residents won’t see a property tax increase.

“[Tax increase] are words I have not heard related to our upcoming budget,” said Council Chairman Yusuf Hakeem. “I believe the effort is to live within our means.”

Councilwoman Carol Berz, chairwoman of the Budget and Finance Committee, said what citizens will see is a budget plan that differs from that of Berke’s predecessors. The idea, she said, is that department heads must demonstrate that they are operating efficiently and effectively to justify their budget.

“If you don’t meet those expectations you shouldn’t be funded,” she told a room full of city officials last week.