Money was the main topic of discussion during the Jefferson City Council voting session Monday.

During the meeting, the group discussed how much money would be spent on various projects and how much money could potentially be allocated during fiscal year 2010.

“Right now, there is around a $760,000 gap between projected revenue and budget requests,” said city manager, John Ward during the meeting. “I will work closely with the department heads and the finance department to come back to the council with a balanced budget.”

Previously, department heads presented the proposed budgets for their respective departments to the City Council.

In order to create a balanced budget, additional funds will have to be trimmed from individual departments’ proposed budgets.

Jefferson Mayor Jim Joiner suggested that it may be necessary to eliminate pay increases for city employees for the upcoming fiscal year.

“We have the best employees any city could have and we rewarded them last year with a good-sized raise,” Joiner said. “But I don’t see how we could give anyone a raise this year.”

Ward informed the group that eliminating raises for the upcoming year could save the city around $75,000.

“I just hope we don’t have to come back in February like the state and tell our people that we need for them to cut another 10 percent from their budgets,” said Bosie Griffith, council member.

The group also awarded a bid to North Star Trucking Services Inc. out of Buford for $89,253 for the paving work on the expansion of the civic center’s parking lot.

According to Joiner, the contract was awarded to the lowest bidder.

The meeting was held in the Jefferson Civic Center on Kissam Street. Councilman C.D. Kidd III was absent from the meeting.

According to Joiner, Kidd was hospitalized with a collapsed lung.

The Jefferson City Council will meet again at 6 p.m. Aug. 10 for its regularly scheduled work session.