Natchez Alderwoman Warns Proposed Budget Could Leave $500,000 Deficit
NATCHEZ - A Natchez alderwoman cautioned that the city's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget could leave a six-figure shortfall the following year, as the Board of Aldermen reviewed a third draft during a special call meeting last week.
City Clerk Megan Garner told the board the general fund's projected ending balance had fallen to about $27,000, down from roughly $427,000 budgeted the prior year. Alderwoman Smith told the board, "when we're when the city clerk says it's it looks like we would be into a $500 to $700,000 deficit for 28, that concerns me very much so. So, I don't know if this is going to be a budget that I'm comfortable with."
Mayor Dan Gibson responded that the clerk was not projecting a deficit that large, but acknowledged the city cannot predict what may arise during the year.
The exchange came as the board weighed adopting the budget that produced the projected drop in the general fund cushion. The figures presented by the clerk showed the fund's balance falling by nearly 94% in a single year, a shift that drew direct concern from a sitting board member ahead of any final vote.