Alderman suggests Newton is broke

Cheryl Owens/News Editor
The Newton Record

NEWTON July 23, 2008 03:34 pm

— When Newton Police Chief Harvey Curry went to the Board of Aldermen last week requesting to hire a new officer, he met with some resistance.
That’s when alderman Eric McCalphia suggested that the city was broke, citing an example of the city had to “borrow” from the water department to make payroll.
Despite McCalphia’s comments about the current financial situation, the board voted to hire the new full-time police officer.
Mayor Michael Pickens said the city is simply going through some of the same things that other cities are with rising gas prices and decreased tax revenues.
“The last three years that I have been here we have been in what they call the fat years,” Pickens said. “We are now moving into the lean years. We have cut the budget in the last three years that I have been here and I don’t know what else to cut other than services and that is a no-no.”
Pickens said the money that was taken from the water deposits has been replaced it was just a temporary cash-flow problem that has been handled.
“We are going to have to amend our budget and send it to Jackson,” Pickens said. “Everything has gotten higher, what is coming in is still on the same shelf, we haven’t raised taxes in seven years and aren’t going to do it. If we hadn’t raised the water/sewer I don’t know what we where we would be now.”
Pickens said he wanted to reassure the citizens that the city is not in financial trouble.
“I want to reassure the people we are where we are at this time and we are just going to have to mend it,” Pickens said. “A city runs on its people and the people have to pay taxes and pay for services, if you keep things status quo it will fall apart.”

In other matters, the board:
• Approved a motion was made to allow the Newton Garden Club to put a Blue Star Marker across from the National Guard Armory in memorial to soldiers past, present and future.
• Denied a request to put a Beaver Creek Golf Course Sign on a public right of way.

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