NATCHEZ —  ‘Shoot for the stars’ might not be the best mantra for the Natchez Board of Aldermen.

During their finance meeting Tuesday, alderman Dan Dillard pointed out the city’s projected total revenue for the 2014-2015 year exceeds the previous year by $12.3 million.

And while that surplus would be great for Natchez, Dillard argued this number is unrealistic.

The city’s current projected revenue for 2015 is $36.3 million. According the last available audit, which was completed Sept. 30, 2013, the city’s total revenue was $23.9 million.

“I think it’s purely an over projection,” Dillard said. “Where does the city expect to bring in another $12 million?”

Most of the city’s revenue comes from three

sources: property tax, sales tax and special programs that bring in federal money, Dillard explained. To expect those three sources to generate close to $36.3 million is highly unlikely, he said.

“It’s a lot easier to simply increase the expected revenue rather than make cuts elsewhere in the budget,” said Dillard, adding that this is not the first time the board has run into this issue. “This is a huge red flag.”

At the beginning of each month, the board receives a budget report. This report, Dillard said, doesn’t represent the exact revenue coming into the city—but it should be close.

“This board has the responsibility to address these problems,” Dillard said. “We don’t want to project money we don’t have.”

Donnie Holloway, city clerk, said the board is working to address these issues, and a budget work session will be held in the council chambers Monday at 4 p.m.

Holloway also added that some projected revenue figures are unclear—and after reviewing city expenditures, there might not be a $12 million gap.

“We are revising the budget as we speak,” Holloway said. “We’re going to look at requests made by departments during the year and try to come up with a budget that makes sense.”

According to Holloway, the total revenue from 2013 was less than what Dillard said. Holloway said the total revenue was $35.6 million—a number that more closely agrees with the projected revenue for 2015.

Mayor Butch Brown said city bookkeeping has needed significant attention for the past three years, and he hopes the aldermen approve a sound budget Monday.

“There are still a couple a things we’re trying to implement in our bookkeeping process,” Brown said. “The city is working hard to clear this up—and it’s making great strides.”