Branson Mayor Larry Milton's Latest Update

The following is Branson Mayor Larry Milton's latest For The People update letter.

Hello Friends,

As we welcome another Ozark Mountain Christmas season in the Branson region, I want to thank everyone in our city for contributing to the "most wonderful time of the year." It is my hope that every Christmas season our celebrations grow larger and more extravagant so we can establish our city as America's #1 Christmas destination!

If you want to start a New Year’s resolution to exercise a little early this year, I want you to know we have a phenomenal new walking/jogging track at Eiserman Park. I had the pleasure of participating in the ribbon cutting ceremony and I can tell you this track is soft enough for even old Marine knees like mine.

I wanted to take use this update to keep you up to speed on what your city government is doing. The Board of Alderman passed the 2022 City budget at a special meeting on November 18th. This budget is similar to past budgets in that it is not sustainable, it continues to cause havoc for future Board’s to deal with.

Here is an example of a non-sustainable budget. Your family prepares a 5-year budget for your household. You have enough income to pay your expenses for 5-years. However, you have no money budgeted for car expenses. You know you will have car expenses; you just have not planned for any and you will handle those expenses as they come up. But where does the money come from for the car expenses?

As your Mayor, I intend to put a stop to this and address our financial shortfalls head on. We will begin working on our 2023 budget this January and we will not wait until the end of the year. This is an extremely important process, and we need to take the time to get it right.

We will begin with a blank canvas and create a brand-new budget, from the ground up. We will prioritize and scrub every single income and expense line-item. We will also work to plug any holes that currently reduce the revenues that are owed to the city. As Alderman Cooper stated, “We will look at our budget with a different lens." YOUR City owes this to you.

I'm thankful that you all have trusted me to lead our city. With a Mayor and Board that will have your back, the best days of Branson are ahead of us. Speaking of thankful, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you will all enjoy an abundant Thanksgiving full of food, family and relaxation. I'm thankful every day for the citizens of our great city and the blessing of living in Branson. Take time this Thanksgiving to unplug, unwind and prepare for the new year that is fast approaching. I look forward to hearing about how the holidays went for you and sharing some stories of my own. That's it for now, but stay tuned for my next update soon!

For the People, Mayor Larry Milton