Birmingham, AL -
The city of Birmingham tackles major budget concerns. This year's budget is $5 million dollars less compared to last year's budget.
In Mayor Bell's proposed budget, he wants to cut almost every department by 19%, and that's why the council members like royal are reluctant to deal with the mayors proposition.
Roderick Royal with the Birmingham city council says, "but he gives his own office a 1.8 million dollar raise."
The Mayor's plan calls for a five percent raise that goes to police, fire and roads. But here's the catch, half of the employees will be left out of receiving the raise. "Which is why the council has fought so hard to get the 1 percent for the other employees," says Royal.
The mayor came back with half of a percent raise for most of the city employees, council members say that's not good enough. "Surely that's not united for the good of the city, that's not good management, especially when you have given yourself a raise in terms of your budget," says Royal."
Mayor Bell says, "If the council wants to kill that, that's up to the council."
But the question remains, why is the city's budget five million dollars less than last year? Royal says the city probably didn't realize the revenue from the start. This year, the city used funds to purchase new police cars. Royal says that's not acceptable, "That's an insult to the citizens of Birmingham."
Birmingham city councilwoman LaShunda Scales says, "When folks say they're politicians, politicians are polished liars, elect elected officials and you'll get the job done."
With or without the new budget plan, Royal says with the math says things are going to get ugly. "We have politicians, certainly the mayor is one, driving the train, and so you give raises just before an election, that's what you do," says Royal.
