JASPER, Tenn. - The Jasper Board of Mayor and Alderman has finally passed the 2019-2020 fiscal year budget, but not without a wealth of confusion.
At the board's September meeting, members' growing dysfunction was on full display as it passed Alderman Jason Turner's version of Ordinance 396 by a 3-2 vote on second and final reading.
Mayor Paul Evans's version of the budget was rejected 3-2 last month.
During the requisite public hearing this week, Evans, who voted against Turner's budget a second time along with Alderman Paul "Mac" Bumpus, said it cut some funding intended for some health insurance, electricity at the library and animal shelter, public works fuel, data processing, payroll taxes, and some salaries.
"I've gone through this line item by line item," he said.
Evans claimed the document from which he was reading was the budget the board passed 3-2 on first reading in August.
"I don't know what you're reading, but yours is not matching anything I've got," Turner told Evans.
"I took it from your budget," Evans replied.
Turner held up his version of the budget.
"This is the one we passed," Turner said.
"I've got that one, too," Evans countered.
Turner said no changes had been made to the budget since the board's August meeting, and that Evans must have been looking at an older document that was "totally wrong."
Some of the meeting's attendees expressed concern that board members didn't seem to know exactly what was in the budget that was passed last month.
Among Evans' many sticking points with Turner's version was that the Jasper fire department's budget was increased by $150,000.
In nearby Kimball, Tennessee, the fire department budget is $54,000, Evans said, while in Whitwell, Tennessee, it's $44,000, and in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, it's $45,000.
Jasper's fire department budget will be $201,000 for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
"I'm going to tell you, we're not as rich as some of these others," Evans said. "Not by any means."
Turner said the board had a work session in June about the budget, and the first thing that Evans said during that meeting was, "Here's my budget. How much are we going to raise taxes?"
"That was the first thing out of his mouth," Turner said.
He said his budget included the "exact same amount" of revenue for Jasper, and has no need for a tax increase.
"I'm not doing a tax increase," Turner said. "That's the only reason I wrote a budget - because we were asked to raise taxes."
He said his increase in the fire department budget was just for one year.
"You keep kicking a can down the road," Turner said. "You can only kick it so far. I'm telling you right now, it's either pay me now or pay me later. Everything's broke over there."
He said the department's hefty budget was a "one-time deal."
"We've got to get everything fixed - everything working," Turner said. "Then, we pull that budget back next year, and we look at roads. We look at this other stuff. It's not $200,000 every year."
Evans said Turner's budget eats up most of the town's property tax income and doesn't leave Jasper with "any money to play on."
Alderman Josh Jennings said Evans' figures are not an accurate assessment because he was relying on property tax income only without considering the town's sales tax income.
The city exceeded the last fiscal year's budget by more than $391,000, and $229,000 the year before, Turner said.
"It's like, if we have checks in the book just keep writing them - don't matter if the money is in the bank, just keep writing the checks," he said.
Evans said city leaders should be concerned with Jasper's "immediate needs."
"I'm for doing what needs to be done, but I'm going to tell you, to me, we can't afford this [budget] right here," he said.
Jennings said Evans' budget and Turner's budget came out "exactly the same" in the end.
He said the board could not plan for Jasper based on yesterday.
"We've got to plan on Jasper based on tomorrow," Jennings said.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.