Among the two dozen speakers, one woman questioned the oversight of the city's finance department. She said "if you can't balance a simple balance sheet and be able to differentiate between assets and liabilities, what the frickin' name are you doing allowing them to sit up here and make financial decisions for a city."

Mayor Shirley Franklin's proposed spending plan for the coming year totals $583.9 million dollars and includes a $140 million dollar budget shortfall.

To bridge the gap, the Mayor has already cut 441 jobs and eliminated another 347 vacant positions. She's also proposing a property tax increase that would add $43.48 for every $100,000 dollars in value a property is assessed.

State Senator Vincent Fort is calling for the ouster of chief financial officer Joyce Davis. He also is demanding a forensic audit of the city's books.

The next public hearing on the budget will be May 15th at City Hall. By law, the City Council has to approve the budget before June 30th.

9 May 2008