Morgan City wrestles with one more tight budget

The Morgan City budget is down to the bare bones, Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi told council members Wednesday at a City Hall budget workshop.
Even though the pro-posed 2018 budget shows an increase in the city’s revenues by $2 million, the fund balance — essentially, the money the city government has saved — will drop by $1.6 million.
Grizzaffi said the slight increase is ac-counted for by the revenue generated by the new power plant.
The city is predicted to bring in about $36 million in revenues and spend $37.7 million, with a resulting fund balance of $17.1 million for the next fiscal year.
In 2017. the city brought in about $34 million and spent $37.5 million, with an ending fund balance of $18.7 million.
Several departments within the city’s budget, such as the police department, planning and zoning, and utilities, don’t have many changes in spending except for decreases in personnel and overtime payments. Several positions have not been filled after employees have retired or resigned.
The Morgan City Fire Department will experience the biggest personnel change in the 2018 fiscal year, with a $100,000 reduction in its wage expenditures.
Fire Chief Alvin Cockerham said the reduction comes from some employees who have already resigned and a few employees that are scheduled to retire in the beginning of the year. Those open positions will not be filled.
Cockerham said he also reduced the training budget by $1,000 for the fire department in the future, new employees will be required to have a significant amount of fire training and certification.
The Morgan City Recreation Department is looking at a significant change by not hosting many little league basketball tournaments due to new regulations.
“We need the basket-ball goals that are re-tractable, that can be raised and lowered, and we don’t have that,” said department head Dwayne Barbier.
Barbier said the goals will cost about $6,000 each. In addition, the recreation department will still need the per-mission of St. Mary Parish School Board for installation in the M.D. Shannon gymnasium, which can come at an additional cost.
“We are eventually going to have to do something for recreation in the form of a tax,” said Barbier. “It’s not just recreation as sports, but everything.”
Barbier said that only Lake End Park and Morgan City’s Petting Zoo are able to be self-sufficient.
‘To replace a slide (in Lawrence Park) is about $6,000, and we need to do a lot more than just replace a slide,” said Barbier.
Barbier said that re-pair work needs to be done to the various playgrounds, city pool and auditorium along with general maintenance.
Grizzaffi said a mini-mum 4-mill tax would have to be passed.
No tax for the established recreation district has been passed since the 1980s.
The proposed budget will be introduced at the November city council meeting. Final adoption would come in December.