BUDGET

From Page 1A dividuals that hold food drives and donate food monthly. Local realtors leave door hangers, and many individuals support the mission through them.

How does that translate to the average citizen's monthly budget? For a person who owns a $100,000 house, the city estimates the increase to be $12.79 per month. For a $200,000 home, the additional cost is estimated to be $17.51 per month. And for a $400,000 house, citizens will see an increase to $26.40 per month.

The ministry receives funding from local churches, individuals, United Way, City of Kings Mountain, grants, charitable organizations, and fundraisers. City of Kings Mountain provides office space and facilities at the YMCA free of charge.

Those applying for assistance must meet certain criteria and provide all the following items: driver’s license or picture ID of all adults in household, Social Security Cards of all in household (adults & children), proof of income/ money received in last 30 days, copy of DSS Food Stamp Letter, proof of residency (correct name & address), and proof showing why in crisis - any receipts, statement, etc.

Anticipating greater needs from people, and due to rising inflation, KMCM is looking for partners, both individual and corporate, to become monthly donors. For more information or to make an online donation, visit www.kmcrisisministry. org.

The Kings Mountain Crisis Ministry is located on the back, right side, of the YMCA building. Visitors can park near the outside pool area. The ministry is open for donations, food, clothes, and financial assistance on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Call 704-7397256 to make an appointment.

Mayor Neisler suggested a different path, suggesting instead that $1M be taken from the Economic Development Fund, suggesting that only one fire truck be purchased this year and that the city pave fewer streets to make up the difference and not raise property taxes this year.

Mayor Pro-Tem Annie Thombs offered her opinion, saying, "Mayor, the comments I want to make are going in the opposite direction of what you just stated. Looking at this budget, it is perhaps one of the hardest decisions I've had to consider while serving on the city council."

"Perception is one thing, but when you get information that we have been given concerning investment within our city so that we are able to deliver great services without having leaf trucks breaking down, without dump trucks not moving, without city staff being out cutting the grass and the lawn mower stops and they’ve got to wait two days to get it fixed before they can come back and finish cutting grass, we have neglected maintenance. We have neglected our rolling stock. We have neglected things that should have been addressed, had we known that they needed to be addressed. I see this budget as, in Mr. Green used Words, as being very 'pivotal,'" she continued.

"Number one, we need to set a different standard. And we can't continue like we have been going and expect a different outcome. Inflation contin- ues to rise. If we put it off and wait, it's going to cost us more. It's hard when you think of all the citizens; it's not an easy decision. But at the same time, we have to look at what's best for the city.

"And I think, as David (Stone) alluded to, this is not a political decision for me. This is what's best for this city. And if it's a hill I have to die on, I’ll just die on the hill. At least I will have made a decision to set a different standard for this city and set a budget, so those that come behind us will have a standard to follow. And if they choose to do something different, then again, the citizens will be able to see what really works and what doesn't work. What really makes sense and what doesn't make sense."

"Yes, it's going to be hard on our citizenry, to a point. But years down the road, they'll be able to look back and be glad of the decision we made. And when we look at it, we are a city that must maintain our public utilities because we own our public utilities to maintain, sustain, and provide growth, and that is a delicate balancing act. And I think this budget is beginning to address that balancing act because when I first looked at it (the budget), I had the reaction, "Nowhere in the world am I going to pass 5 cents. Because I just couldn't see a five-cent increase," she explained.

"But when we had the last budget session, and he (City Manager Jim Palenick) gave us the options that we have available to us. And when he so clearly pointed out why we needed to have this increase, all of the speech I had prepared just flew out the window. Because I looked at this and I said, 'I've got to make a responsible decision no matter the outcome. And if citizens decide that because I voted for this budget, I don't need to sit here, so be it. I'm to do the thing that's necessary right now based upon what I have been presented with, based upon what I have seen, and based upon the needs of this city.'"

"It is the first budget that I have seen that is a budget reinvesting in our city, prioritizing the things that we need to do.

And a fire truck now versus a fire truck later… The fire truck that we purchase now, if we put it down the road it, is going to cost us almost twice as much. So, we must look at and be responsible for the things that we as a governing board need to do."

"And I just would encourage us, like the mayor said, regardless of how we vote, regardless of the outcome, we have to support whatever the majority has done. I just ask that each one of us just look at this, have the courage to be responsible, and do what we need to do and do, and support the city manager," she explained. "Because we said together we needed a change. We said together we needed to go in a different direction. And the city manager told us when he came on board, after he had been here about three weeks and began to assess things, 'You all are going to have to make some hard decisions.' And so, he kept his word."

The vote passed 5 to 1, with Councilman Jimmy West voting against. Councilman Mike Butler was not in attendance.