As the Meridian City Council and city administrators begin the 2024 budgeting process, recent actions by both branches of government indicate tensions are high at city hall.

Among the disagreements are necessary budget amendments and work orders that have been delayed by the council due to a lack of details about what exactly is being voted on.

Additionally, for several months, Meridian Mayor Jimmie Smith and members of his administration have elected to not attend the council’s semi-weekly work sessions where many business items are typically discussed in advance of the regular council meetings.

In a June 6 meeting, Smith said he did not believe the council’s work sessions were productive and tying up his department heads’ time by attending the meetings was not a good use of their time.

Most of the city’s leadership members attend regular council meetings, but recent clashes between Smith and the council have, on several occasions, caused department heads to follow the mayor in walking out of the meetings before business is concluded.

Meridian operates under a form of government known as the “strong mayor” system, in which the mayor is in charge of much of the day-to-day goings on throughout the city’s departments. Under the strong mayor system, the mayor functions as the head of the executive branch of the city’s government. He appoints department heads, has the power to hire and fire employees and can direct city workers.

The council’s role under a strong mayor system is to control the funding. The council passes an annual budget, authorizes payment of the claims docket, which contains the city’s bills, and approves payroll for city employees. Large purchases in excess of $75,000 also need the council’s approval.

City Attorney Will Simmons said the strong mayor system itself is likely responsible for some of the recent clashes. Under a strong mayor system, he said, the council, which acts as the legislative branch, has the right to ask department heads questions and receive information necessary to make good financial decisions. At the same time, he said, the mayor has the authority to instruct department heads not to answer questions or to not attend meetings.

The mayor’s absence is the latest development in a growing discord between the council and city officials. The rift first surfaced last fall when the council avoided taking action on the mayor’s proposal for a $15 million paving bond.

Several revisions to the bond, including both $12 million and $7 million versions, were presented to the council, which failed to take action on the proposals. Instead, the council agreed to a $5 million bond issue for upgrades to Meridian’s parks and recreational facilities that was presented at the same time.

Prior to any bond discussion, Public Works Director David Hodge said his department requested $8 million for paving in the current year’s budget, which began Oct. 1, but the council eliminated that funding during budget negotiations.

It is not unusual for departments to request funding in excess of projected revenues during budget discussions, and the council needed to cut more than $10 million of requests for the 2023 fiscal year.

Frustrations have also been high among department heads after the council voted to seize six months’ worth of funding from positions that sat unfilled for the first half of the fiscal year. In budgeting, the city allocates funds equal to 12 months of pay, plus benefits, for each position within the city’s departments.

By taking the funds, the council’s goal was to free up funds that could be redirected toward other needs while still leaving enough money available to pay an employee through the end of the fiscal year should the position be filled.

As the budget year progressed, the council’s action has had unexpected consequences, with department heads indicating they are struggling to find funds to pay their workers.

Ed Skipper, a former chief financial officer who now works part-time as an administrative assistant to the mayor, said department heads have historically relied on those unfilled billet funds to plug holes in their budgets throughout the year.

With those funds now under the control of the city council, he said the department heads are having to spend more time looking for money, which means less time to get things done.

For several months the Meridian’s public works department has been trying to have funds taken by the council returned to pay for employee overtime. Hodge has explained the department is in peak mowing season, and overtime is a necessity to keep up with the overgrowth.

The requested transfer has been removed from the agenda or tabled several times, and city officials have accused the council of leaving it off the agenda in several other instances.

On their side, council members claim the city administration is withholding vital information about positions that are still unfilled, which potentially have another three or four months of unused funding that could be redirected internally to meet the department’s needs.

On Tuesday, the council learned the public works department had done that by transferring $100,000 from engineering salaries to pay for overtime. Chief Financial Officer Brandye Latimer said the transfer was moving money around under the salaries umbrella, so the department did not need council approval.

Councilman Dwayne Davis questioned why public works had been so adamant about the council transferring funds from the legislative fund if it could have made the internal transfer all along. Based on the current financials, he said, there is still more than $600,000 in the engineering line item.

Davis issued a warning to city officials during Tuesday’s meeting as they prepare budget requests for the upcoming year.

“I just suggest you do y’all’s jobs, do what you all are supposed to do because jobs can be easily taken,” he said. “If a job can’t be taken, your budget will be. Or your salary.”

The disenchantment between the city and council has also caught the attention of residents. Julia Norman, who previously served in the city’s government affairs department before being appointed to the State Parole Board by Gov. Tate Reeves, called on both sides of city government Tuesday to resolve their differences. Meridian, she said, needs leadership.

“These two bodies are to work together for the will of the people. As of late, that does not appear to be going so well,” she said at Tuesday’s council meeting. “It is your responsibility to sit at the table and work together.”

Norman said the squabbles between the council and city administration distract from the real community issues that need to be addressed, such as the rise in violent crime.

She said Meridian residents want to know what their leaders are doing to address gang violence, locate illegal firearms, make improvements recommended in recent grand jury reports and more. She added that while the city administration and council showcase their disagreements Meridian’s residents are waiting for leadership.

“The back and forth between the mayor’s office and the council only harms the people you serve. We need someone to step up to hold those accountable that need to be held accountable, to find workable solutions for the citizens,” she said. “We need a leader, and we need it now. Who’s it going to be because Meridian is asking?”