Bartlett OKS budget, keeping level tax rate

The Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the city’s annual budget and agreed to maintain the $1.49 property tax rate on final readings Tuesday night after uneventful public hearings.

The board approved both ordinances by unanimous votes. Alderman David Parsons was absent.

The $58.5 million overall budget includes about $39 million in the general fund. Employees will receive a $600 bonus, but there are no annual raises in the plan, other than career step increases.

Public hearings associated with the ordinances normally don’t draw a lot of opposition, particularly if there is no property tax increase.

That was the case Tuesday night. Only Gene Carkeet, who routinely challenges the board on decisions, questioned the budget increase.

No one spoke in regard to maintaining the $1.49 property tax rate.

According to Carkeet, the 2.3 percent increase in the budget represents about $1 million. He even came prepared with props — a $1 bill.

“That’s a million of these,” Carkeet said holding up the bill. He then asked City Clerk Stefanie McGee to pass the dollar to the board “so, they can feel what one of these feels like. I don’ think people understand what a million of them are.”

Carkeet said he thinks citizens and government are unconcerned about that amount of money when it comes to city budgets. He said given the economic times, the city leaders should be looking in a different direction.

“We’ve got to bend the cost curve down,” he said. “Increasing the budget by a million dollars is an extremely big deal.”

As Carkeet finished, Mayor Keith McDonald laughingly said to make sure Carkeet got his money back. Carkeet offered to donate it to the budget.

“I hear what you are saying, Gene,” the mayor said. ... I don’t know if everybody wants it as stark as you do, but we all want to make sure we’re getting a dollar’s worth for a dollar.”