A divided Crossett City Council adopted a budget for the coming fiscal year Monday night, Dec. 21. The point of contention was nearly a quarter million dollars.
Four council members, C.T. Foster, James Knight, Kerstin Mondragon and Sheila Phillips, voted in favor of the budget.Â
Councilmen Dale Martinie and Cary Carter voted in the minority when casting votes against the proposal.
Carter said that he thought the budget should be cut by approximately $200,000. Mayor Crystal Marshall said the budget had already been cut by 8 percent â approximately $468,226 â when compared to the 2020 budget.
âI donât want to make cuts or lay people off unless it is absolutely necessary,â Marshall said. âIf I start laying people off, then Iâm afraid others will panic and lay people off and we are going to start seeing a ripple effect on our town.â