Fairhope Mayor Says Proposed 2020 Budget Is First Not to Rely on Utility Profits

FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson announced Sept. 2 that the city’s proposed 2020 budget is the first in city history that requires no utility profits to balance.

Separate revenue streams

According to Wilson, the city is now financially self-sustaining and can operate independently of its Utility Department, with no utility revenue paying for government operating expenses. Wilson said the city operates on tax dollars while the Utility Department operates on rate fees, and that the two sources of money are not the same.

Call for timely adoption

Wilson said she has urged the City Council to take the time needed to meet and make sure the budget passes by the Oct. 1 deadline. She said all amendments to the proposed budget must be handled through discussion in open meetings, which she said is how government budgets are developed.

Wilson said the council had avoided that open process during the last three budget cycles, contrary to state law, and had held the budget for months past the deadline in previous years.