Brundidge City Manager Britt Thomas said the city budget was in “excellent shape” during a city council meeting Tuesday afternoon.

The city’s general fund budget was $2,777,000, while the city’s general fund expenditure was in the amount of $2,745,337.

With a difference of $31,663, Thomas said the amount is an estimate.

“It’s an estimate based on historical trends,” Thomas said. “You just hope that you’re right. The things you have no control over are how many businesses come or how many businesses leave. Businesses are the ones that pay much of the property taxes.”

Because the city is in such a good position financially, Thomas said the city can focus on other areas of development—such as a new 2.5-acre recreation area.

“In the late 1970s, the city had a grant and they constructed an outdoor recreation park, what we call ‘Hill Park,’” Thomas said. “It was paid for partially by state and federal dollars. The money comes from the Department of Interior.”

Thomas said in the 1990s, the city of Brundidge sold the block where a tennis court and basketball court were located. “Back then, the city signed an agreement that said the area would always remain an outdoor recreation area,” Thomas said. “When we sold it and they came down to check on the area many years later, the state realized the recreation area was gone. They wrote us a letter reminding us about our commitment, which said that particular 2.5-acre area would always be a recreation area. So, they said we have to select another site and remediate this by putting another 2.5-acre recreation area.”

Thomas said at this point the city is just trying to determine what it will do and where the park is going to be.

“We fully understand our bligation and we’re going to honor that,” Thomas said. “We’ve just got to decide where it’s going to be and the state is assisting us with that.”