The Natchez Board of Aldermen on Wednesday afternoon unanimously noted to allow City Clerk Donnie Holloway to publicize the city’s proposed budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

A hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the city’s council chambers to get public comment on the proposed budget. The board is expected to adopt the city’s fiscal 2001-2002 budget at its Sept. 11 meeting.

&uot;And there won’t be a tax increase&uot; for fiscal 2001-2002, Holloway said.

As it now stands, the budget would include $11,438,167 in expenditures – up $905,668 from the current fiscal year.

The biggest increases in spending would be in streets and highways ($234,230 more than this fiscal year) and police administration ($203,128 more).

Raises for city employees could be included in the budget, but how much salaries would be raised is not yet known, Holloway said.

Including revenues, transfers from other city funds and an existing balance of just over $500,000, the city will have $11,589,889 to pay for those expenditures.

That will include an estimated $4,800,440 from sales taxes and $1,344,269 from ad valorem taxes – an increase from the current fiscal year.

In a few cases, revenues will be down – for example, in the expense refunds and miscellaneous revenues category, which will fall by an estimated $191,617.

In other business, the board voted to select Blue Cross & Blue Shield as the administrator of its self-funded health insurance plan for city employees.

Previously, MAS had served as the city’s health insurance administrator.