City Faces Budget Pressures
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WATER VALLEY – Low wages, aging equipment and employee retention concerns dominated discussion as Water Valley officials began the annual budget process during a special workshop June 1.
The nearly two-hour meeting marked the first in what Mayor Tommy Reynolds said will likely be a series of budget discussions before adoption of a fiscal year 2027 budget, which takes effect Oct. 1. No votes were taken, but department heads outlined needs ranging from employee raises and replacement vehicles to equipment upgrades, facility maintenance and operational improvements.
“This gives us an opportunity to talk with the people that actually do the work for the city, that make our city a safe place and a good place to live,” Reynolds said.
While the requests varied from department to department, one theme surfaced repeatedly: Water Valley is struggling to compete with surrounding communities when it comes to employee pay.
Fire Department Seeks Raises To Remain Competitive
Fire Chief Mark McGavock requested funding for a $2 per hour raise for firefighters, plus associated fringe benefits, a proposal that would increase the department’s budget by approximately $79,651.
McGavock said firefighters currently start at $11 per hour, significantly below neighboring departments.
“Oxford is about $7 an hour more than our starting pay,” McGavock said. “Batesville starts $4 an hour more than we do. Grenada starts $4 more than we do.”
“Every time I hire somebody, I say $11. Y’all do it every single time — you shake your head when I say $11,” he added. “But it’s okay until you start losing folks. And I’m getting ready to start losing folks because Oxford is a carrot.”
Reynolds noted the comparison was difficult to ignore.
“So in other words, McDonald’s is paying $4 more than we are for starting our firefighters,” Reynolds said.
McGavock argued that maintaining a professional fire department remains critical not only for public safety but also for economic development and insurance rates.
During discussion about the possibility of relying on a volunteer department, Reynolds asked how such a system would work.
“And it wouldn’t work,” McGavock replied.
McGavock said losing the city’s current fire protection rating would significantly increase insurance costs for homeowners and businesses while making economic development efforts more difficult.
Ward 3 Alderman Grant Thompson, who also works as a firefighter in Batesville, said fire ratings play a major role in attracting commercial development.
“I can speak just from my experience in Batesville, too,” Thompson said. “All the new stores that have come — Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby — they would not even consider Batesville until we got to a Class 3 or Class 4 fire rating.”
McGavock said the department’s performance has improved significantly in recent years.
“When I took over, Water Valley averaged 24 structure fires a year,” he said. “Last year I think we averaged eight.”
The chief said the city has experienced only one residential structure fire so far this year and no commercial structure fires in two years.
“It’s hard for a fire department to say, look how great we are when we don’t fight fire,” McGavock said. “But the reason we don’t fight fire is because of how great we are.”
The chief also discussed equipment concerns. He said a replacement pumper truck originally expected to cost about $386,000 would now cost approximately $880,000.
Instead, the department plans to extend the life of its current truck through a state certification program requiring repairs and testing expected to cost less than $10,000.
“My budget right now is as thin as can possibly be,” McGavock said. “I don’t have an extra penny.”
The current fire department budget totals $751,015.
Police Chief: ‘We Need People, Money And Cars’
Police Chief Jason Mangrum offered a similarly direct assessment.
“We’re doing as best we can with what we have,” Mangrum said. “We need people, money and cars.”
Mangrum said uncertified officers start at $16 per hour and receive modest increases after graduating from the police academy.
Those salaries, however, lag well behind neighboring departments.
“Our guys are at $39,000 and they’re at $50,000 plus,” Mangrum said, referring to the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department. “We’re $11,000 behind Yalobusha.”
Reynolds asked how the department manages to keep officers under those circumstances.
“We can’t,” Mangrum answered. “That’s the problem.”
Mangrum said the department currently employs seven full-time officers and relies heavily on seven part-time officers to supplement staffing.
Vehicle replacement was another major concern.
The department operates several patrol vehicles with more than 100,000 miles, including one vehicle with a body showing more than 200,000 miles.
“That’s the kind of wear and tear we put on one,” Mangrum said. “They’re running 24-7.”
Mangrum advocated for eventually moving toward a full take-home vehicle fleet, arguing that take-home cars last longer, receive better maintenance and improve emergency response capabilities.
“We can prove it with our own department,” Mangrum said. “The ones that have take-home cars, the car is cleaner, it’s better maintained.”
The chief also discussed jail housing expenses, noting the city pays $25 per day to house inmates at the Yalobusha County Detention Center until felony cases are transferred to county responsibility.
The discussion later turned to the city’s contract with Second Chance Animal Alliance, which currently costs the city approximately $1,000 per month.
Mangrum questioned whether the city receives enough value from the arrangement.
“For $12,000 plus water plus electricity, I just can’t see how 48 dogs a year cost $12,000 or is worth $12,000,” Mangrum said.
The conversation revealed another issue: the city currently has no dedicated animal control officer to pick up stray animals.
Asked when the last dogs had been transported to the shelter, Mangrum estimated it had been several months.
“Three months, four months ago,” he said. “Before the ice storm. I haven’t taken one since the ice storm.”
“So we’re just continuing to pay them?” Alderman Joe Magnuson asked.
“Correct,” Mangrum answered.
Mangrum said one reason for the lack of activity is the difficulty of finding someone willing to perform animal pickup duties.
“Nobody will do it,” he said.
The discussion came as several officials acknowledged receiving regular complaints about stray dogs throughout the city.
Mangrum also suggested replacing most police department landlines with cell phones, allowing officers to use department-issued devices for photographs, reports and communication while potentially reducing costs.
The police department’s current budget is $1,060,976.
Civic Center, Parks
And Cemeteries
Water Valley Parks and Civic Commission Chairwoman Jessie Gurner presented a proposed annual Civic Center budget of approximately $36,000.
Gurner explained the facility has never operated under a formal budget because it remained closed for several years before its recent renovation and reopening.
“We also don’t have, of course, how much revenue the Civic is going to bring in,” Gurner said.
Even so, she reported encouraging early results.
“It is bringing in revenue,” Gurner said. “We made money last month on it.”
The Civic Center recently received a projector and screen purchased through grant funding, and Gurner said a newly formed Friends of the Civic organization plans to help bring additional events, speakers and programming to the facility.
“There are just a lot of ways it can be used that it’s never been used before,” she said.
Parks Commission Chairman Robert Maze told aldermen the parks budget faces a different challenge: a lack of historical financial records and clearly defined expenses.
“We don’t have any idea what Crawford brought in,” Maze said, referring to revenue generated by Crawford Sports Complex.
Maze estimated sports complex revenues currently offset approximately 25 percent of park expenses.
A lengthy discussion followed regarding the city’s combined parks, cemetery and street maintenance budget.
Officials noted that labor and equipment costs are often shared among departments, making it difficult to determine exactly what each function costs.
“It is all commingled together,” Alderman Demetrius Ingram said.
Mayor Reynolds agreed.
“Your cemetery and your parks are two different functions,” Reynolds said.
Several aldermen suggested exploring private contracts for cemetery maintenance while allowing city employees to focus on street work and other responsibilities.
The combined parks and cemetery budget currently totals $284,208.
Street Department
Faces Similar Challenges
Street Department Supervisor Johnny Wayne Turner reported many of the same problems facing other departments.
Turner said the department employs five full-time workers, many earning approximately $10 per hour.
“How can we pay somebody $10 an hour?” Reynolds asked. “How can anybody have a family and how can they pay a bill?”
Turner said employee pay remains one of the department’s biggest concerns.
“That’s mainly what the guys have been complaining about a lot,” Turner said. “A lot of them have been talking about leaving because of the pay.”
Turner requested wage increases and replacement equipment, including two additional lawn mowers.
The department currently has only one mower in operation.
Discussion also highlighted aging equipment throughout the department. Much of the fleet is more than 20 years old, and Reynolds noted that only two of the city’s three brush trucks are typically operational at any given time.
The current street department budget totals approximately $725,000.
“There’s plenty of work to do on the streets right now,” Reynolds said. “If you leave potholes, you are not doing the people’s business.”
More Meetings Ahead
As the workshop concluded, Reynolds said city officials now face the challenge of separating essential needs from desired improvements.
“We’ve got wants,” Reynolds said. “Now we’ll need to get our needs.”
Additional budget workshops are expected throughout the summer before aldermen adopt a fiscal year 2027 budget ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline.
