5 budgets???

Mayor Briley proposed his budget just before the May 1 deadline set out in the Metro Charter. I got mine out on May 28. Another three were sent to Council members on Friday afternoon. One of them was expected -- from Budget & Finance Committee Chair Tanaka Vercher. One had been rumored for a few days (CM Glover). And the last one was apparently a surprise to just about everyone (CM Pulley).

Then the Mayor dropped a Facebook press release around 5pm on Friday afternoon complaining about there being too many budget choices.

It is a lot to sort through...but here's a summary of the similarities and differences between the plans.

When you are looking at the summary, keep your eye on several key points:

• Which proposals rely on one-time non-recurring revenue? This is a sloppy practice.

• The school system is clear that, without at least $55 million in new revenue, they cannot achieve even 5% raises. Details here. Only the Mendes/Davis plan does this.

• Look to see if a plan provides funding for next year (FY21) or is limited to this year only. Only the Vercher and Mendes/Davis plans create adequate funding for FY21.

• Look to see if a plan has the flexibility to fix the under-funding of the MTA budget.

• Look at each proposed property tax. Three plans have a rate increase. Two don't.

Finally, for more info, here's a link to all my budget posts...and my FAQs about the Mendes/Davis budget proposal.