Biloxi City Council Discusses Budget Issues

The City Council heard changes in healthcare costs that will affect how they allot the budget. They also heard the needs from department heads, including the police, fire, and public works departments. After, they opened the floor for public comment. The council tells News 25 that balancing the city budget is no easy task.

Paul Tisdale, Biloxi City Councilman for Ward 5, says, “My expectations are that it would be a balanced budget, which is going to be very difficult given the fact that we expect revenue, from what we’ve been told, to be about a million dollars less than what it was this year. As the cost of things continues to increase and nobody is in favor of a tax increase, we have to be creative in how we’re going to manage our dollars. That’s a polite way of saying, ‘How do we cut or reduce costs with the least amount of impact to the citizens of Biloxi?’”

The council hopes to get a proposed budget on the agenda for September 2nd.