Alma council debates proposed administrative cuts but takes no ordinance action

Councilors spent an extended portion of the June 16 meeting debating a proposed ordinance to amend the budget to reduce staffing in the city administration department.

Speakers raised competing priorities and factual questions. A council member (Speaker 6) said citizens were concerned about past staffing levels and costs, referencing previous expenditures on police personnel. Several speakers recounted accounting and reporting practices; Mayor (Speaker 1) said she had adjusted journal entries to present a P&L so council members could see the raw accounting and cautioned that some year-end journal adjustments normally mask negative interim balances. She argued that reactionary cuts mid-year risked undoing recent progress and urged the council to consider grants and slower pacing: “Who’s chasing those on this side of the table? Raise your hand if you've tried to write a grant in the past 60 days.”

Council members discussed whether administration had made unilateral hourly cuts; one councilor (Speaker 11) clarified that hour reductions were an administrative action, not a council vote. After discussion the council did not move forward with an ordinance to amend the budget; no layoffs or formal reductions were enacted at the meeting.

Next steps: Council will continue to review budget materials, and the CPA has been asked to attend an upcoming meeting to clarify audit timing and journal entries.