Slidell Mayor Ben Morris said when he presents next year’s budget later this month it will include cuts across the board.

Knowing those cuts are coming, some City Council members are criticizing Mayor Ben Morris for not presenting them with a proposed budget sooner.

At a press conference Tuesday, four council members expressed their concerns about not being given more time to review the proposed budget and some questioned if there was any political motive behind the deal. Council President Lionel Hicks and councilmen Ray Canada and Joe Fraught said they expected to receive the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2010-2011 at their last meeting in March, which is scheduled for March 23. However, Morris has informed them that he will not have it ready to present to them at that time and has scheduled a special meeting for March 31 to present the budget.

Fraught said that is little more than fishy, as the mayor is running for police chief in the March 27 election.

“For an administration that always says it is transparent, this is four days after the election on March 27, instead of four days prior at the regular meeting on the 23rd,” Fraught, Hicks and Canada wrote in a statement they prepared together.

They anticipate that the city will need to make $1–1.5 million in cuts in order to balance the budget.

“The 1-1.5 million is our best estimate since he (Morris) hasn’t given the council any indication of what to expect this year,” they wrote in the statement.

They acknowledged that Morris did call a meeting in February to discuss the upcoming budget and proposed making cuts by addressing the city’s polices on take home cars, cellular telephones and travel.

They predicted that this will not be enough to make up the deficit and the city will likely see “significant cuts in capital projects, contract services and areas of annual maintenance.”

They further eluded to the upcoming election and stated that “it is unlikely he will make any significant cuts to the police department for this year or next since the mayor has been campaigning that if elected police chief he won’t allow the police department budget to be cut.”

Morris agrees with the $1-1.5 million number provided by the councilmen, but said the cuts will be made across the board.

“I have required each staff to go through the budget and recommend cuts, including the police department,” Morris said. “Nobody is exempt, including the police department.”

He further pointed out that the council is “not getting the budget late.”

“They are getting it according to the charter,” he said, “and they will have an entire month to review it.”

The city charter requires the mayor present the council with the proposed budget by April 1, and they have until May to adopt it.

Morris said he does not think the really issue is the eight days delay but rather this whole thing is a “smoke and mirrors” attempt to confuse other issues during a controversial election.

While Hicks, Fraught and Canada have a problem with not getting the budget until March 31, some of the other council members are not upset about the delay.

“I believe in the economic situation that we are in they (the administration) needs all the time it can get,” Landon Cusimano said. “We need to work together and move forward.”

“If he needs all of the time, then give it to him,” Cusimano added.

Council member Kim Harbison agreed, pointing out that she understands that the finance department needs more time.

“I understand that when the actual numbers came in she had to go back and make a lot of changes,” Harbison said.

She also said she trust Finance Director Sharon Howes’ judgment because she has always been open and up front with her.

She said she also understands that in addition to having to do extra work on the budget this year, Howze is also working with a shorter month because the last meeting this month is coming earlier because of how the first fell.

“The last meeting was is usually closer to the end of the month,” she said.

She also disagreed with Hicks, Fraught and Canada, saying she does not think the election has anything to do with the delay.

“I don’t think the election had anything to do with it. I think the economy had everything to do with it,” Harbison said.