FAIRHOPE, Ala. - The City Council is expected to approve Fairhope’s budget for fiscal year 2011 at its Sept. 27 regular meeting, Council President Lonnie Mixon said during a finance committee meeting last week.

“If we need to, or if we have additional questions, we can meet again with department heads and staff,” said Mixon, the council committee chair, at the Aug. 26 meeting. The finance committee consists of all five council members, he said.

A draft budget prepared by a budget committee with participation by a team of four senior city staff members, following two days of hearing with department heads, was discussed during last week's meeting.

It was the second year in a row the council and council-appointed committees, with city staff and department heads, have taken a more active role in the development of the budget. Prior to development of the budget for fiscal year 2010, which ends Sept. 30, the city’s budget was prepared primarily by the mayor's office with little input from council or department heads, according to city staff and officials.

“The city needs an independent look at these big-cost items,” said Stan Grubin, budget committee chair, during his presentation of the draft budget, referring to an upgrade or replacement of the wastewater treatment facility. “I think council, before they vote, needs to have a logical plan presented to them by a professional (consultant). We know that we have some firms already on-line, but what we need is a fresh set of eyes.”

Grubin was referring specifically to plans regarding the wastewater plant, which the council had discussed at its Aug. 23 meeting, but also, generally, to other large capital projects.

After a discussion at a work session before the Aug. 23 council meeting, a resolution to approve the amendment of an old contract with Thomas Engineering regarding the wastewater facility, which would have authorized that firm to perform the engineering work on a proposed multi-million dollar upgrade of the sewer plant, was pulled from the council agenda.

The company was told to prepare a contract regarding the project for the council's future consideration.

“I agree totally,” said Chuck Zunk, chair of the council-appointed Financial Advisory Committee, regarding an independent study of the issue. “It needs to be presented by a firm that doesn't have a dog in the hunt.”