Bristol, Virginia Approves the 2024-25 Spending Plan Amidst Challenges
Unbalanced Yet Approved 2024-25 Spending Plan
Bristol, Virginia – A divided city council has approved Bristol Virginia’s 2024-25 operating budget, despite lingering disagreements. The $87.5 million general fund budget, which was passed on to final reading with a 3-2 vote, remains technically unbalanced as the council members previously rejected an attempt to increase the tax on restaurant meals which left a funding gap of approximately $1.5 million.
Interim Measures Adopted for Budget Shortfall
To address this issue, the council has temporarily decided to defer some new police car purchases and firefighting equipment until a review in July. “It’s either pull that money from the beginning balance or hold off purchasing the cars for the police department and some equipment for the fire department,” Mayor Becky Nave commented on the approach.
Planning about future, the Mayor added, “We have applied for a grant that I feel good we will get; we don’t know. If we get that [grant money] in August, they are going to get that anyway. If we don’t get that grant we can go back and look at our budget then”.
Different Views within the Council on the Approval
Despite the approval, concerns remain. “This is the first budget I’ve voted on that is not structurally balanced and I feel like that is one of our responsibilities as a local government is to produce a balanced budget,” commented Councilman Neal Osborne.
Councilman Michael Pollard’s objection to the plan was that it lacked funding for a separate city attorney role. This means Bristol’s current city manager, Randy Eads, will continue to work dual-role, carrying the city attorney’s responsibilities as well.
Vice Mayor Jake Holmes however defended the decision, setting light on the that the plan, though not perfect, addresses a number of critical needs without increasing taxes.
Future Projection Amidst Financial Constraints
Despite the still existing funding gap and financial constraints, Mayor Nave has shown her satisfaction with the significant components of the plan including a reduction in the trash collection rate, no increment in meal tax, and the hiring of additional police officers.
Washington Bourne echoes this sentiment: “We are not raising the real estate tax, we are lowering the trash rate, we are not raising the meals tax, we are hiring more police officers and our employees are getting a raise,”.
While the budget challenges remain, Bristol’s City council members are optimistic about the city’s financial future and are committed to serving their community’s needs while ensuring fiscal responsibility.
