Jackson Council Rejects Budget Amendment at Its Last July Meeting, Days Before State-Law Deadline
JACKSON — The Jackson City Council on Tuesday rejected a proposed amendment to the city’s fiscal year 2025-2026 budget, voting it down 3-4 at the council’s last regular meeting of July.
Councilman Kevin Parkinson urged colleagues to adopt the amendment, telling them the city’s own revenue actuals showed collections running far below the $135 million appropriated in the general fund budget and that state law left the council no discretion in the matter.
“My personal interpretation of this Mississippi code says that we are therefore required to amend the budget,” Parkinson told the council.
Councilwoman Tina Clay opposed the amendment, arguing that a deficit was not yet certain.
Mississippi’s municipal budget law states that if it appears at any time during the fiscal year, “but not later than the regular July meeting,” that collections of anticipated revenues will fall short of the amount estimated and a deficit is indicated for any fund, the governing authorities “shall, at a regular meeting, revise and reduce the budget appropriations” for that fund to conform to the lower indicated revenue. The provision is Miss. Code § 21-35-25.
The council’s July 29 meeting falls inside that statutory window. The vote leaves the fiscal 2025-2026 appropriations unamended.
The administration of Mayor John Horhn had pressed for the revision earlier in the month.
Neither the administration nor the council indicated after the vote what steps, if any, the city will take before the fiscal year ends on September 30.