Mayor exceeds budget helping residents in need
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BROWNSVILLE, Tenn- A West Tennessee mayor is under scrutiny for spending too much of the county’s money to help residents pay their bills. A typical day at Haywood County Mayo, Franklin Smiths’ office consists of dozens of people lining up every day to ask for his help with gas money, utility bills, food and shelter. “I’ve had people who say ‘when did y’all move the welfare office to the courthouse?’,” Smith said. The money comes from the mayor’s Benevolent Fund. Its purpose is to help residents who fall on hard times. Monday at the County Commissioner’s meeting, a report showed Mayor Smith had already spent $18,000 in less than three months. However, the county commission only approved $10,000 for the entire fiscal year. That does not end until next June. “I made a mistake,” Smith said. “I spent more than I was allowed to spend.” Haywood County’s unemployment rate is 10.5 percent. That is three percent higher than the state average. Commissioner Robert Green said he knows it is hard to find jobs in the county and he is not against helping residents; but he said the fund needs to be better managed. “We need to get a policy where we set a number and then cut it of,” Green said. “It’s hard out here for some people,” Samantha Douglas, a resident said. “And I appreciate what the mayor is doing for me and other residents in Brownsville.” The help could be coming to an end. At Monday’s meeting at least four commissioners voted against adding more money to the fund. Mayor Smith said he plans to stick to the budget in the future but hopes to find other ways to help residents.
