By Bill Short
The Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen has unanimously passed an ordinance on final reading that changes its regular monthly meeting date from the first to the second Monday.
Board members took the action during their Nov. 4 meeting on a motion offered by Alderman Bethany Huffman and seconded by Alderman Hank Hawkins.
The ordinance was passed on first and second readings, respectively, on Sept. 3 and Oct. 7.
It states that, if the second Monday of a month is on a day observed by the city as a legal holiday, the meeting will be scheduled on the second Tuesday of that month.
So, the board’s next regular meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Dec. 9.
Section 4.05 of the new City Charter requires the board to establish its regular meeting date and time by ordinance.
But during the Sept. 3 meeting, Millington Finance Director John Trusty noted that this had “never actually been done.” He said the board had merely been “following the old practice” of meeting on the first Monday of the month.
If the meeting was moved to the second or “even the third week,” Trusty said, he could present “much better” financial statements to the board and the residents.
“I would love to say the third week would be great,” he acknowledged. “But on the other hand, you don’t want your numbers too old.”
Trusty told the board members that the financial statements in their packets were for July. Because August had just ended, he said it was not yet “physically possible” for him to prepare the statements for that month.
In response to a question by Alderman Mike Caruthers, Trusty said his “goal” would be to give the financial statements to the board members no later than the Thursday before their meeting and “hopefully, earlier than that.”
Interim City Manager Mike Chesney said that, during each of his monthly reports to the board, he would ask Trusty to present a financial update.
“This is our first stab at giving you a snapshot of where we are financially in this period,” he noted. “We want to make it as clear, concise and short, but as accurate as possible.”
Trusty said the purpose of doing this on an “ongoing basis” is to give the board and the residents “a total understanding” of what the city’s budget is and how the administration is “doing in relation to” it.
“What we don’t want,” he concluded, “is surprises.”