Making a pitch: Morgan City Council gets look at mayor's budget

The Morgan City Council congratulated two of the city’s baseball teams Tuesday before turning to the ultimate in municipal inside baseball: the budget.
Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi rolled out his draft budget for the city fiscal year that begins Jan. 1. It’s the first step in a process that will eventually result in final passage.
The budget continues to reflect the regional economic slump that will soon enter its sixth year.
In his budget message, Grizzaffi wrote that “the recurring expenses have historically risen while the economy has slowed the pace of revenue. This had made managing the City operations very difficult as we continue to adjust.”
The draft budget foresees an increase in revenue from $39.4 million to $40.2 million, and an increase in expenditures from $38.5 million to $39.5 million.
Tax revenue is expected to be about $7.5 million, up about $34,000 from the amended 2019 budget.
Spending is expected to be slightly less next year for police, fire, general government, public works, and recreation-culture-public programs.
The 2% longevity increase for employees who have reached their one-year anniversary is included in the budget at a cost of $148,000 in wages and $52,000 in benefits.
The employ count will be 231.
Despite the lean budget, the mayor’s budget message said the city has managed to avoid cuts in services while adding a $378,000 firetruck, six new police detective cars and three police patrol trucks, plus new playgrounds at Lake End and Lawrence parks.
The budget for next year includes a $140,000, 46-foot bucket truck, an electrical service truck, four leased patrol vehicles and $300,000 for sewer rehabilitation.
Also Tuesday, Parish Councilman Patrick Hebert told the City Council it will receive $1,075,000 in the next round of spending from a parish government bond issue. Local governments have been using the money they receive from the program for road improvements.
The baseball players who got congratulations from the council and mayor Tuesday were members of the Morgan City Dixie Youth 9- and 11-year-old All-Stars.
The 9-year-olds were runners-up in both the state tournament and the World Series in Brookhaven, Mississippi. The 11-year-olds were state runners-up and qualified for the World Series.
Also Tuesday,
—The council approved a liquor license for Daniel Solar’s Eclipse Bar & Grill, 605 Martin Luther King Blvd.
—Heard from Marshal Kenny Duval that the parish’s annual Red Ribbon Week anti-drug event will be Oct. 18-27.
—Changed the dates of the regular meetings in November and December to avoid holiday conflicts.
The meetings will be Nov. 19 and Dec. 17.