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City accountant warns of roughly $500,000 revenue shortfall; council weighs cuts and revenue options
Summary
City accountant Jim Coker told the Pryor Creek City Council the fiscal outlook shows an estimated $500,000 drop from last year and projected revenues around $8.2 million; councilors discussed cutting expenses (including staffing), pursuing new fees or sales-tax strategies, and requested more regular financial updates.
Pryor Creek — City finance staff told the City Council the municipality faces a tighter budget year, with projected revenues below prior levels and limited flexibility.
Jim Coker presented preliminary projections that revenues are down roughly $500,000 from last year and estimated total revenues near $8.2 million. He said the city has reduced the original projection of being $1.2 million short to about $500,000 through expense adjustments, but cautioned that the budget is not yet final and that reserves and carryover remain constrained.
Council members pressed for options: deeper cuts to discretionary spending, hiring freezes already in place, or revenue measures such as fee increases or changes to sales-tax allocations. Coker advised that salaries are the largest driver of general-fund expenditures and are the most straightforward place to realize immediate savings, but councilors expressed concern about cutting core services, especially police and fire.
The council discussed potential revenue strategies — targeted fees, utility-based charges used by nearby cities, and economic-development efforts aimed at recapturing retail leakage. Staff said earlier one-off actions (collection of fines, renegotiated leases) and long-term approaches (attracting new businesses, monitoring retail leakage through EDTA/Main Street data) are under consideration.
What happens next: Council asked the finance staff to continue producing timely projected reports, to circulate current-year contract redlines (where relevant), and to work with department heads on specific, achievable reductions. No budget adoption occurred at the meeting; councilors agreed the issue will be an ongoing priority for the summer budget cycle.
