PRICHARD, Ala. — The Prichard City Council is in the final stretch of reviewing the city’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, with questions remaining about spending, public safety and transparency.
The council met Thursday afternoon to review Mayor Carletta Davis’ proposed budget, which totals nearly $22 million. Council members are expected to vote on the spending plan Monday.
Line by Line
Council members said they have spent more than 40 hours this week reviewing the budget line by line to make sure it is balanced and reflects the city’s priorities.
“The city council has been working in overdrive,” council attorney Moshae Donald-Walker said. “They put in more than 40 hours this week alone reviewing the budget line by line, item by item, making sure it is balanced.”
Forty hours of line-item review in a single week is an unusual level of council involvement in a municipal budget. In most cities, a council receives a proposed budget from the executive, holds hearings and votes. Line-by-line review at that intensity generally indicates either a council that does not take the administration’s figures as given, or a city whose finances require that level of scrutiny — and in Prichard’s case, the record suggests both.
What’s on the Table
The council is considering funding for city facility upgrades, schools and a proposed sales tax increase, along with other city spending.
District 2 Councilwoman Stephani Johnson-Norwood said she believes there has been an excessive amount of spending, and said the council is looking for ways to reduce unnecessary expenses.
“The council concerns are cutting out what we don’t need,” Walker said. “We are in the transition with the police department, so we need to make sure the money counts where the citizens need the most.”
The Police Department Question
The future of the Prichard Police Department remains an unresolved issue, and it sits underneath the budget rather than beside it.
According to Josh Briskman, an attorney for Davis, the city and the Mobile County Commission are close to reaching a deal that would allow the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office to continue providing law enforcement support in Prichard.
However, the proposed agreement would still need to be formally approved by the City Council before it could take effect.
Council attorney Moshae Donald-Walker said it is unclear whether the proposed budget would provide funding to rebuild the city’s police department.
“I hope this budget gives us a perspective on where our priorities need to be, as well as fund the critical components of our city government,” Donald-Walker said.
That ambiguity is the most consequential open question in the document. A municipal budget has to assume one answer or the other. Contracting law enforcement from a county sheriff’s office and rebuilding a municipal police department carry very different cost structures — the first is a negotiated service fee, the second requires salaries, benefits, training, equipment, vehicles, facilities and liability coverage for a full department.
A budget that funds neither clearly leaves the council voting on a public safety plan that has not been decided.
Context
The city has been recruiting for a police chief, with the consultant group POLIHIRE assisting in the search. A former Prichard detective sergeant, Bart Andrews, made his case to council members at a recent meeting, citing officer pay, evidence accountability and a proposed tactical team as priorities.
That search proceeding alongside an unresolved question about whether the department will be rebuilt illustrates the position the city is in.
Transparency Concerns
Residents and council members also raised concerns about transparency during Thursday’s meeting as the city works to address its financial challenges.
The mayor was not present at Thursday’s meeting to answer questions.
The Vote
The council is expected to vote on the spending plan Monday. Municipal budgets in Alabama must be adopted before the fiscal year begins Oct. 1.