Budget Timeline: July 15 to Present

The Gulfport City Council will vote on first reading of the revised fiscal year 2012 operating budget tonight at 7 at Gulfport City Hall.

Residents are expected to share their questions, concerns and opinions regarding several budget issues, including:

• outsourcing the Gulfport Police Dispatch Center (eliminating five full-time employees)
• contracting out mowing services (eliminating four full-time employees)
• increasing the millage rate to 4.0 
• increasing water and sewage rates by 10 percent
• increasing in sanitation/recycling fees by 12 percent
• increasing general governmental fees by 10 percent

Timeline

July 15: Gulfport City Manager Jim O'Reilly submitted his proposed operating budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 and ending Sept. 30, 2012.

O'Reilly's draft included the use of recurring funds to help offset the $2.2 million shortfall. It also called for using a one-time amount of $300,000 from the General Employee Pension Reserves and dipping into the General Fund Reserves for the remaining $622,359 to balance the budget. 

O'Reilly's proposal included a millage rate increase from 3.4742 to 3.8176.

To view the entire story, click here.

July 28: During a City Council workshop, Vice Mayor David Hastings proposed outsourcing the dispatch center and mowing services in order to keep the city from using money from the General Fund Reserves. Currently, the city has $4.6 million in General Fund Reserves.

Hastings also proposed raising the millage rate to 4.0 and increasing water and sewer rates by 10 percent. 

"Our expenses since 2002 have exceeded our revenue. The gap is widening. Our general reserve fund balance has been on a steady and sharp decline since 2003.

We can't continue to go on like this. ... We can't continue to go on with the budget that you have proposed," Hastings said during the workshop.

To view the entire story, click here.

Aug. 16: During the regular City Council meeting, residents addressed the council about budget workshop recommendations that were made July 28. At this meeting, more than half a dozen residents spoke up, asking the council to keep the police dispatch center and the dispatchers.

"I just ask that you really, really think about not just the numbers, but the people. We're not just numbers, we are people, and personally we care for the city, we provide a lot of services in Gulfport dispatch that I can assure you that the sheriff's office will not," Communications Officer LaKeisha Isaac said during public session at the meeting.

Residents also asked city leaders to keep the parks department employees instead of outsourcing mowing services.

To view the story, click here.

Also during the meeting, Vice Mayor David Hastings said that if the city raised water and sewer rates by 20 percent, the revenue would offset the cost of operating the police dispatch center. Although the idea was discussed, City Manager Jim O'Reilly moved forward with the budget workshop recommendations from July 28.

To view the story, click here.

Sept. 8: The Gulfport City Council's Special Budget/Millage Meeting is tonight at 7 at Gulfport City Hall.

Sept. 21: The second Special Budget/Millage Meeting is at 7 p.m. at Gulfport City Hall. The City Council must pass a fiscal 2012 budget before Oct. 1.

The city manager's Proposed Operating Budget FY 2011/2012 is available on the city's website.