Despite previously reaching a consensus to adopt the FY 26-27 budget, the Henderson City Council on Monday night heard, duly seconded and passed a motion NOT to pass the budget.
Mayor Melissa Elliott voted yes, to not pass the budget, in order to break a 4-4 tie otherwise.
The motion to not pass the budget was made by Geraldine Champion and seconded by Catherine Gill at the regular June 8 monthly meeting.
Champion said she could not approve the budget the way it looks.
Members who voted in favor of not passing the budget included Champion, Gill, Mayor Pro Tem Tami Walker, and Michael Venable.
Members who voted against the motion were Garry Daeke, Kenia Gomez-Jimenez, Lamont Noel and Sam Seifert.
The City Attorney reminded that a budget needed to be passed, and the City Manager suggested a special called meeting. The date and time of that special called meeting has not been announced, and it will require at least a 48-hour notice be made to the public.
Champion used an analogy to make the trimming of the budget akin to cutting down a tree, and she took issue with “starting at the bottom,” near the root. In Champion’s analogy the money to be cut, the big money, was at the top of the tree.
She said very rarely does a person start at the root with cutting because it’s going to fall and cause damage.
“That’s what I see that happened in this particular budget. You started at the bottom. You’re trying to cut a $22,000 a year job, but you didn’t go to the top of the tree. And at the very top of that tree is where the tremendous amount of money is.”
The big money Champion is talking about is cuts to staffing.
“It’s just my opinion that some of those departments don’t need all those people,” she said, citing, “That’s just my opinion. I don’t work there. I’m not the expert on that.”
The $22,000 a year job, referred to by Champion, is in her analogy down at the root, important, and that job is the position of Assistant to the Mayor.
Champion said of Finance Director Joey Fuqua, “Yes. You have been thorough with what you’ve done. You’ve said everything you need to say.”
Gomez-Jimenez said after Fuqua reviewed the timeline, including strategies to save throughout FY 26-27, it’s “not a feel-good budget but a culmination of paths to this point.” She spoke of an opportunity to improve the City’s organization and told Fuqua, “You have produced a good budget.”
On May 11, 2026 the FY 26-27, a balanced recommended budget was presented to the City Council followed by two budget work sessions on May 12 and May 14, a public hearing on May 21 and a final work session on May 28.
To hear more, including audio from the June 8 regular monthly meeting, please click play!
