The Selma City Council adopted the 2022-2023 Fiscal Year budget at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Selma City Council President Billy Young was present, along with council members Christie Thomas, Troy Harvill, Lesia James, Sam Randolph, Jannie Thomas, Clay Carmichael, and Atkin Jemison.

Included in the 2022-2023 budget will be pay raises for Public Works employees, which will take place immediately. According to Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr., 16 public works employees quit on January 1. Perkins requested that city employees get more than a $9 hourly rate.  The council voted down Perkins’ version of a budget 5-3.

“Just pass a budget, you can amend it later,” Perkins said.

After the meeting concluded, Carmichael said the city council’s budget was similar to Perkins’ budget.

“We passed the same increases as the Mayor requested,” Carmichael said. “They just came at a cost of other positions and other positions.  We felt like we needed heavy padding since the tornado and we need it now more than ever.”

The projected revenue budget by the city council is $25,627,897.39 million, compared to Perkins’ proposed budget of $26,365,919.00 million. The expenses by the city council is $21,876,291.13 million, compared to Perkins’ $24,133,596.88 million.

Moving forward to 2023-2024, the expected budget deficit for the Mayor is $4,149,425 million compared to the council’s suggested total of $666,272.

Carmichael said the Mayor’s expenses would put the City of Selma in a $3.5 million hole next year.