Furlough day for July lifted

The July 2 furlough day for city staff has been cancelled in light of sales tax income from March, the mayor said at Tuesday night’s agenda session.

The city’s income was down .19 percent, which equated to a loss of $32,000 for the month, said Paul Becker, the city’s finance director.

“It’s not great news, but it’s better than it was,” Becker said. “I’m hoping we have reached the bottom.”

When the mayor announced a furlough day in late April, he also set aside three tentative dates that potentially could be used for unpaid leave if the sales tax income continued to dip.

Those dates could still be used if necessary, Mayor Lioneld Jordan said at last night’s meeting. Every 30 days, when new sales tax information is reported, he said he would reassess the plan to address the budget shortfall.

At next week’s meeting, the City Council will likely vote on the bulk of the parking ordinances that will set the paid parking plan in motion.

In addition, the budget adjustment needed to pay for the new machines is on the agenda. Instead of borrowing the $810,974 from an outside source, the city will consider loaning the money from its own Replacement and Disaster Fund. This will protect the city from high interest rates and administrative costs, Becker said. The plan calls for repayment over five years at a three percent interest rate each year.

The Replacement and Disaster Fund currently has 2.9 million, Becker has said.

Also on the agenda, the council will consider extending the rules for use of fireworks in early July. The new ordinance would allow for fireworks, excluding sky rockets and fireworks on a stick, to be used July 1-4 on private property. The existing ordinance only allows fireworks to be used on July 3 and 4.

The council recently lifted the ban on selling fireworks within city limits.

Mary Robbins is a regular contributor for the Fayetteville Flyer. She declared Fayetteville as her hometown upon moving here for college. She is a Journalism graduate who enjoys live music, the outdoors and attending city council meetings. For more of Mary’s contributions, visit her author page.