Editor’s Note: This article is the fourth in a series of articles to be published over the coming days that will examine Selma Mayor Darrio Melton’s proposed draft budget for Fiscal Year 2019. The full budget can be viewed online at www.selma-al.gov under Financial Reports.

 In his draft budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, Selma Mayor Darrio Melton is envisioning an increase of more than $118,000 to the general government budget, which includes new fees on trash collection and municipal waste dumping.

Not much has changed as far as general government is concerned, with only a meager increase, $1,100, added to the title search/liens of property line item, which is accompanied by a note that states the increase is due to the “expense associate with title search [and] placing liens on property; increase due to annual trends.”

The line item for professional services is being dropped by $30,000, down to $15,000 from last year’s $45,000, with a disjointed note stating that “landfill cells completed” and “cave-in consulting as needed.”

Two line items appear that are not accompanied by numbers from last year’s budget, indicating a new allocation, and they are for trash collection expenses and landfill tipping fees.

In regard to trash collection expenses, the budget is expecting more than $51,000 for a 10 percent “administration cost,” while landfill tipping fees are marked for $50,000 for what a side note describes as “fees for municipal waste dumping [at] Selma Transfer.”

The mayor’s proposal also calls for a $10,000 increase in the special advertisement line item for general government, noting that the increase represents $15,000 for advertisements for tax sales, $7,000 for ordinances and miscellaneous ads each and $8,000 for “additional advertisement” for tax notices.

The general government budget also includes a $120,000 increase in spending for the 2020 election, though there is no explanation as to what specifically the money will be used for.

Elsewhere in the budget, the mayor made no changes to the allocations for the Selma Historic Development Commission, leaving the department’s budget at last year’s rate of $5,700, and only a $41 decrease in long-term debt service spending.

The Tourism Department, by contrast, is seeing its budget slashed by more than $80,000, largely on the back of the $79,850 being pulled from the Centre for Commerce and Tourism, marking the centre’s entire budget from last year.

Additionally, the mayor’s budget calls for an additional $35,000 in funding for the Selma Interpretive Center, with a note that states only that the increase is for “maintenance and supplies” and a result of a planned expansion.

The mayor’s budget also eliminates all funding for the black heritage line item under tourism, cuts $10,000 from events and knocks $20,000 off of funds for the amphitheater and Riverfront Park.

Funds for the City of Selma Tree Commission will remain at last year’s levels under Melton’s proposal, $11,500, while the inert trashfill will see its budget decreased by just over $11,000, despite a more than $73,000 increase in funding for the director and staff and a new position.

The budget cuts $16,500 from engineering and professional services for the landfill and adds $20,000 for vehicle repairs and maintenance.

The line item for the construction of new landfill cells has been defunded completely, marking a more than $157,000 drop over last year’s numbers, while the line item for equipment has been increase by more than $53,000 to cover the lease payment on an excavator, a new compactor and a dump truck.