The Selma City Council is working on a fiscal budget for 2018-2019.

The council will hold a budget hearing will be held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Selma Convention Center.

The nine-member council unanimously rejected the $22 million budget proposed by Mayor Darrio Melton at Tuesday’s meeting. Melton sent the Council copies of his budget on Aug. 3, and it was discussed at meetings over the last month.

Councilman Michael Johnson said it’s important to place the most critical items in the budget first.

“When we do the budget, we need to get equipment for the police and fire departments,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to give our employees more money. We need to clean up our city. The city of Selma deserves more.”

“We need to be realistic about the budget,” Councilman John Leashore said.

The city has been operating this year off the 2016-2017 budget with amendments after the city council voted on March 9. The budget is $17 million.

“We will do our due diligence and we’ll have a balanced budget by Sept. 30,” Council President Corey Bowie said at the Council meeting.