OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting on Budget Cuts - May 21, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, May 21, 2026
BodyJackson, Mississippi
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, May 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:39:51

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Okay, it's 3 30, and we're gonna go ahead and call this meeting to order the finance committee meeting, and today we're gonna discuss uh expenses only.

0:12

Um we've taken care of all the revenues, so everything is good on the revenue side.

0:19

I disagree that everything's good on the revenue side.

0:21

I would say everything's bad on the revenue side.

0:23

But is that you but but we we went through that?

0:27

Yeah, but I mean it's not is the term good to describe it doesn't matter what you think, it's done.

0:34

Okay, it's done.

0:36

That's how we're gonna say it's done.

0:38

The revenue side is complete or done, okay.

0:41

It's it's good in terms of what we're trying to accomplish, okay?

0:44

That's all we can do with it.

0:47

So today we're gonna spend our time on the expense side, and we may differ on opinions, but the bottom line is we have to balance the budget and come up with a working solution, no matter what we call it or how we defined it, okay?

1:01

That's our goal to do, and we're gonna respect each other and do it in a manner that works for the city.

1:07

Okay, so what I've given you in this book is revenue, and you don't need to look at the first pages.

1:13

We're gonna start on page five, and the reason we're not looking at revenue, revenue has not changed in terms of what we're doing.

1:27

So, what I've given you is the first 40 pages of the monthly um financial report, and in this report is all the expenses.

1:40

We said we wanted the expenses spelled out, so all the expenses are spelled out.

1:44

There are a couple key notes that I need to tell you before we start.

1:48

First thing is June the 18th, we will have our public hearing meeting for the budget, okay?

1:56

And that is uh required by law by the statute, okay.

2:00

Um we will be completed with this process by June the 18th, so we can have it for the public, and then we will vote on the revised budget after that based on a date that we will come up with before June 30th.

2:13

Everything has to be complete by June 30th.

2:16

Our goal is to have it done a week before June 30th.

2:19

Okay, so expenses.

2:21

What we're looking at is trying to cut our expenses in areas that we can cut and still maintain all the services to the city and reduce the budget by the amount required to get it under um balanced and at the appropriate amount using 112 million.

2:39

And so the first area, if you look, I gave you my notes, and you can do anything you want.

2:44

This is not Tina Clay's budget.

2:45

This is your budget, so work it however you want it.

2:48

But I thought this may be simple, and if you have a different way of doing it, let's do it.

2:53

Um what I did, I went through the first 40 pages and I looked at the categories, and you can look at them quickly or slowly, or however you want to look at them today while we're here.

3:04

But the goal is to see areas that we can reduce.

3:07

We know every department has salaries.

3:09

We know there are a number of people in the uh departments, and we know their vacancies.

3:14

We're gonna figure out how many vacancies and how much money is available with the vacancies.

3:19

Okay.

3:21

Yes, sir.

3:23

So at this point, we're this is still trying trying to finalize the budget for the year that ends this coming September 30.

3:36

Yes, sir.

3:37

Okay, so we're not really focused on the budget for next year.

3:40

That is not our goal at all.

3:42

On getting to the finish line on September 30, 2026.

3:45

Yes, sir.

3:46

Okay, thank you.

3:48

But this should help us in creating our next budget because it's so close to that time, okay.

3:54

So in each category, you have the um salaries, okay?

3:59

And that's one area that we know the administration has said that there's some vacancies, and there's a way to save money there.

4:05

So um this breakout gives you every department by breakout.

4:10

So at some point we're gonna have all the vacancies, and you will have an amount of money there, and um finance may have it now as to how much money we have in vacancies that we can start off with.

4:21

Do you have that amount?

4:26

10 million.

4:29

What's 10 million?

4:30

What's that?

4:31

10 million is the amount of money we have right now in vacancies and salaries, so we can take 10 million and subtract it from our shortage of 23.

4:39

So we're working with 13.

4:41

So the the 10 million that represents the the money that we've saved for having um not having not having all the slots filled through the end of April.

5:00

So there may be more money to save if if those slots aren't filled through the end of September, but 10 million is what we've we're assuming we're not filling them.

5:05

That's why we're using 10 million.

5:08

Let me be clear the 10 billion.

5:13

The 10 million is the annual salary for those vacant positions.

5:19

Okay, that's for the whole year.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████████████████████████████████66%
Personnel Matters████████12%
Public Engagement█████7%
Fiscal Sustainability███4%
Procedural██3%
Arts And Culture██3%
Engineering And Infrastructure█2%
Public Safety█1%
Transportation Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Finance Committee Meeting on Budget Cuts - May 21, 2026

The Jackson City Council Finance Committee met on May 21, 2026, at 3:30 PM to discuss expenses and budget cuts. The committee reconvened on May 22, 2026, at 10:00 AM. The goal was to balance the budget using $112 million in revenue by cutting $23 million in expenditures. The committee reviewed line-item expenses, identified savings from vacancies, and debated categories such as vehicles, professional services, and overtime.

Discussion Items

  • Budget Overview: The committee identified a $23 million gap between anticipated revenues and budgeted expenditures. The CFO stated that $10 million in savings had already been identified from vacancies (annual salaries for unfilled positions), including fringes. Of that, $3.2 million is for sworn police and fire positions. The committee agreed to reserve the $3.2 million for potential hiring of qualified officers and firefighters, using $6.8 million from vacancies toward the deficit. This left approximately $16.2 million to find.
  • Expense Line-Item Review: The committee examined the first 40 pages of the monthly financial report, focusing on categories that appear across departments:
    • Vehicles: Every department has a fuel line. The CAO noted a new vehicle policy has been signed to reduce personal use and pooling. Council members questioned whether all departments need assigned vehicles; some suggested a citywide pool for savings.
    • Other Professional Services (6419): This broad category for consultants, contracts, and fees varied widely across departments. The committee requested a breakdown and noted that $10 million in earlier cuts may not have fully addressed this category. The CAO committed to providing a detailed list by department for the FY27 budget.
    • Overtime: The committee noted that overtime is budgeted in nearly every department. Council members argued that non-first responder departments (excluding police, fire, and public works) should use comp time instead of overtime. The CAO agreed to review policies.
    • Salaries and Vacancies: Confusion arose over the $10 million in vacancy savings versus an additional $10 million in cuts claimed by the administration. After discussion, the committee concluded that the $10 million in vacancy savings is the same as the previously identified $10 million in cuts. They agreed to move forward with $6.8 million from vacancies and $2 million from the administration department, totaling $8.8 million, leaving about $14.2 million to find.
  • Recess and Reconvene: At 4:44 PM, the committee voted to recess and reconvene at 10:00 AM on May 22, 2026, to continue the line-item review. The motion passed with one opposed.
  • May 22, 2026, Session: The committee continued reviewing pages 12-21 of the report. Key discussions:
    • Human and Cultural Services: The committee explored the art center, municipal auditorium (Thalia Mara Hall), and other facilities. It was noted that Thalia Mara Hall is now operated by Visit Jackson, yet a salary line remains. The CFO confirmed that the salary for a former employee has been moved to the art center. The committee identified $44,000 to be transferred.
    • Capital Outlay: The lease for the 633 building (human and cultural services) was discussed. The CAO indicated that most departments can be moved to the Hood Building, saving approximately $25,000 per month ($300,000 annually). The committee urged fast action.
    • Utility Costs: The committee noted that utility bills for the Hood, Porter, and City Hall buildings are currently under the public works department, which is misleading. They recommended site-based budgeting.
    • Overall Savings: The committee reviewed a top-down analysis showing that through March 31, 2026, the city had spent only 43.9% of the budget, indicating a lower run rate. Councilman Foote noted this is encouraging but emphasized that line-item cuts are still needed.
  • Executive Session: The committee moved into executive session to discuss personnel matters. No votes or actions were taken.

Key Outcomes

  • Vacancy Savings: The committee agreed to use $6.8 million from vacancy savings (excluding sworn police/fire positions) toward the $23 million deficit. This is part of the $10 million in already-identified cuts.
  • Training Document: The committee requested the administration produce a training document showing the $10.7 million in easy cuts (non-personnel, non-operational) so that the council can vote on them separately. This will allow the committee to focus on the remaining $13 million.
  • Next Steps: The finance team will provide a detailed breakdown of the other professional services category and a summary of the $10.7 million in cuts by June 3, 2026. The committee will continue working sessions to identify the remaining savings.
  • Public Hearing: A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for June 18, 2026. The final budget must be adopted by June 30, 2026.
  • Anonymous Suggestion Box: Councilman Parkinson requested an anonymous email inbox for employees to submit budget suggestions. The CAO agreed to set it up.
  • Grants Report: Councilman Hurley requested a statistical report on grants applied for and received. The CAO will follow up with the grants team.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, it's 3 30, and we're gonna go ahead and call this meeting to order the finance committee meeting, and today we're gonna discuss uh expenses only. Um we've taken care of all the revenues, so everything is good on the revenue side. I disagree that everything's good on the revenue side. I would say everything's bad on the revenue side. But is that you but but we we went through that? Yeah, but I mean it's not is the term good to describe it doesn't matter what you think, it's done. Okay, it's done. That's how we're gonna say it's done. The revenue side is complete or done, okay. It's it's good in terms of what we're trying to accomplish, okay? That's all we can do with it. So today we're gonna spend our time on the expense side, and we may differ on opinions, but the bottom line is we have to balance the budget and come up with a working solution, no matter what we call it or how we defined it, okay? That's our goal to do, and we're gonna respect each other and do it in a manner that works for the city. Okay, so what I've given you in this book is revenue, and you don't need to look at the first pages. We're gonna start on page five, and the reason we're not looking at revenue, revenue has not changed in terms of what we're doing. So, what I've given you is the first 40 pages of the monthly um financial report, and in this report is all the expenses. We said we wanted the expenses spelled out, so all the expenses are spelled out. There are a couple key notes that I need to tell you before we start. First thing is June the 18th, we will have our public hearing meeting for the budget, okay? And that is uh required by law by the statute, okay. Um we will be completed with this process by June the 18th, so we can have it for the public, and then we will vote on the revised budget after that based on a date that we will come up with before June 30th. Everything has to be complete by June 30th. Our goal is to have it done a week before June 30th. Okay, so expenses. What we're looking at is trying to cut our expenses in areas that we can cut and still maintain all the services to the city and reduce the budget by the amount required to get it under um balanced and at the appropriate amount using 112 million. And so the first area, if you look, I gave you my notes, and you can do anything you want. This is not Tina Clay's budget. This is your budget, so work it however you want it. But I thought this may be simple, and if you have a different way of doing it, let's do it. Um what I did, I went through the first 40 pages and I looked at the categories, and you can look at them quickly or slowly, or however you want to look at them today while we're here. But the goal is to see areas that we can reduce. We know every department has salaries. We know there are a number of people in the uh departments, and we know their vacancies. We're gonna figure out how many vacancies and how much money is available with the vacancies. Okay. Yes, sir. So at this point, we're this is still trying trying to finalize the budget for the year that ends this coming September 30. Yes, sir. Okay, so we're not really focused on the budget for next year. That is not our goal at all. On getting to the finish line on September 30, 2026. Yes, sir. Okay, thank you. But this should help us in creating our next budget because it's so close to that time, okay. So in each category, you have the um salaries, okay? And that's one area that we know the administration has said that there's some vacancies, and there's a way to save money there. So um this breakout gives you every department by breakout. So at some point we're gonna have all the vacancies, and you will have an amount of money there, and um finance may have it now as to how much money we have in vacancies that we can start off with. Do you have that amount? 10 million.

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