NATCHEZ — For several years, the city has been funneling $75,000 into the recreation department’s budget from the general fund as a fiscal boost.

The transfer has become such a staple and a crutch for the recreation department that each year Director Ralph Tedder is dependent on it.

During the second day of budget hearings, City Clerk Donnie Holloway pointed out that Tedder has $10,000 remaining n the $75,000 transfer and asked for it back.

“I’m going to need that,” Tedder said.

The recreation department has already been through three storms — Hurricane Gustav, the December tornado and this month’s thunderstorm — and hasn’t even hit his busy months in June and July.

While Tedder has managed to whittle down his budget by approximately $30,000 in savings in the first few months of this fiscal year, that remaining $10,000 in transfers is the cash flow he said he needs to make it until October.

Mayor Jake Middleton said this is a classic example of the transfers that have swung the budget into the red and forced the board of aldermen to borrow money year after year.

It’s what has caused the city to pursue a $500,000 loan to balance the budget midway through the fiscal year.

But these transfers from the general fund to departments that aren’t paid back are going to stop, Middleton said.

“It’s not going to be there,” Middleton said of transfers in next year’s budget. “If it means shutting down a program, that’s what it’s going to mean. That’s just the way it’s going to have to be.

“Everybody wants everything. Sometimes the money’s not there.”

Alderman Dan Dillard, who chairs recreation, pledged to work with Tedder to wean the recreation department off the $75,000 transfer.

Oftentimes, transfers are made to other departments when department heads realize they’re not going to make budget.

Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said a department’s budget should never get to that point.

“If a department head knows they are going to go over, they need to come to the board,” she said. “Then at that point, we can do something.”

Dillard said attacking the problem from the front end is key.

“Don’t run up two days before a bill’s due and say you don’t have any money,” he said.

City officials present at the meeting — Alderman James “Ricky” Gray, Alderman Mark Fortenbery, Mathis, Dillard, Holloway and Middleton — all agreed that close watch of the budget is needed.

“We’re really breaking this budget down, and we’re looking at it hard,” Middleton said.

On Wednesday and Thursday, all department heads reported to city officials with their respective budgets.

Having listened to where each department is in its budget, the board of aldermen will now make decisions on whether to make cuts or dig through budgets to find savings.

To balance the budget, Holloway originally asked earlier this month to take out a $1.1 million loan.

The board members were hesitant, however, and said they would comb through the budget looking for any savings to match the $500,000 loan they settled on.

“The board needs to go ahead and look at it,” Holloway said now. “They’ve got the figures, now it’s their decision.”