Mayor Rawls announces spending and hiring freeze

Mayor calls for patience as office audits are conducted

BROWNSVILLE, Tenn.- Mayor William Rawls. Jr. will continue to remain transparent with the citizens of Brownsville as he begins his next term. Currently, the Mayor’s office is conducting an internal audit with assistance from Municipal Technical Advisory Services and awaiting its annual external audit.

The City of Brownsville is in the process of closing out the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Therefore, The City of Brownsville – Board of Mayor and Alderman has held a series of public budget workshops to prepare next year’s budget. The first workshop was held on April 30, 2018.

Mayor Rawls instituted a spending and hiring freeze based on initial findings showing inaccuracies on financial statements. The internal audits have identified monies, which are awaiting deposit, which will go to the city’s General Fund. There’s a total $3.6 million currently in the city’s bank accounts, with some being designated for specific expenditures such as solid waste, drug fund, etc., in reserve accounts.

The board has not voted for any tax increase. The anticipation note that MTAS recommended at the City Board on Tuesday, July 10th, was based on unaudited and unreconciled statements. Those numbers are being reviewed.

While the internal and external audits are being conducted, the City Clerk has been placed on an administrative leave. In addition, the Board of Mayor and Alderman is working on a strategic plan to resolve this issue and the implementation of preventative measures are being made to move forward.

Mayor Rawls asks the citizens of Brownsville to be patient as the city, not the media, brings forth accurate facts, figures, and financial statements.

111 North Washington Avenue, TN 38012
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