Discussions over the Madison County budget continue

JACKSON, Tenn. — Madison County budget committee is continuing discussions with county departments on finances.

The remaining Madison County Departments met with the budget committee Friday morning to go over their budget proposals.

“We were finishing up our budget hearings. We had several of the smaller departments come. The election commission, the trustee,” said Doug Stephenson, Budget Committee Chairman.

Stephenson says the committee had to rearrange several budget items due to the pandemic. And now they have to change it back.

“We’re trying to get that under control. Then we’ll be accumulating all of these numbers together, revenue and expenditures, to sort of see where we are and what cuts or what we need to do,” Stephenson said.

Stephenson says this meeting was one of the easier ones.

The county is receiving $19 million from the federal government, and the biggest challenge will be how to distribute that while following federal guidelines.

“How to use that money, what’s the time frame to use that money? The schools have ESSERED 2.0 and ESSERED 3.0. Those two are getting $53 million. How do we use the money under the guidance of what the federal government will allow us to do?” Stephenson said.

Stephenson says the school board is the next department on the agenda for a budget meeting. Capital hearings are also scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.