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by Pete Edwards

June is budget time for local government. Tennessee law requires cities and counties across the state to publish the proposed budget (2003-4) for

public inspection by the end of June.

From the published budgets it is possible to rate city and county efficiency and growth compared to last year's budget (2002-3) and to each other.

A People News analysis of the published general funds from both entities reveal a high passing grade for Cleveland (a negligible percentage increase in proposed budget over last year) while Bradley County's increase was 9.2%. Each entity balanced the budget without a property tax increase but Bradley County raided the general fund balance to do it. The City of Cleveland's fund balance has remained relatively stable at $3.4 million while the county's dropped

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from $4.3 million to $2.8 million in order to balance this year's budget (2003-4.)

Because the 2003-4 figures are what the fund balances are calculated to represent this time next year, there may be a small adjustment up or down but in general the total published are expected to reflect budget balances.
General fund balances, (as opposed to budget balances) represent un-spent funds remaining at the end of each financial year. These funds are necessary to carry city and county governments through an emergency and to meet unforeseen obligations but are not designed to supplement budget increases. 

The City of Cleveland budget had total published general fund financial sources (income) for last year (2002-3) of $23.45 million with expenditures of $23.38 million and for this year (2003-4) they are $23.76  million with expenditures of $23.76 million. The Cleveland figures reflect little growth in government spending while Bradley County is growing at almost 10% and the county figures do not include extra revenue required to staff and run the new justice center or finance the State Fire Marshals required modifications to Bradley Central High School. Bradley County's published general fund financial sources (income) for last year (2002-3) were $19.50 million with expenditures of $19.40 million and for this year (2003-4) are $19.70 million in income and $21.20 million in expenditures, requiring $1.5 million to be  taken from the general fund balance (emergency fund) to balance the budget without a property tax increase.

Funding for staffing the justice center and school system improvements have not yet been addressed.

April 2003

May 2003

June 2003

Must read U.S. District Court Judge William Young's statement while sentencing "shoe bomber" Richard Reid to prison