The Thomasville City Council approved a $7.6 million budget in a brief session Tuesday night.

"This budget is going to have to be month to month, quarter to quarter," Mayor Sheldon Day said. "We're projecting sales tax revenue flat for next year and holding off on some capital projects until we see how the numbers look after the first quarter."

Day said in addition to approving a lean budget, that he was going to hold department managers more accountable to their department budgets this year. "They have to know that this is what they have and what they can do with it," he said. "Some departments have been very good at staying within their budgets and some have not."

Last year, the city spent $106,020 in capital outlay expenses, overspending last year's budget of $50,000 by 100 percent. "If I had to do it over, I'd string out the projects we had last year a little more," Day said. "We don't need to try to take on that many next year."

Fuel expenses also hurt last year's budget. Operation of vehicles in the police budget alone, shot up from $53,393 for 2006-2007 to $78,663 for the 2007-2008 budget year due to the sharp increase in gasoline expenses.

Total revenue going to the general fund appears to fall short of the budget for 2007- 2008 by $1.2 million though the current budget figures came out before the last month of the fiscal year ended.

Next year's budget anticipates revenues increasing by less than $200,000 from last year's budgeted figure.

In addition to the belt tightening, Day said he wanted to create a finance advisory committee after the new council term begins. "As a council, we still have the final say, but this committee will help us stay within the budget and help us meet our budget goals," Day said. He indicated he would like to see Charles Allen, Lewis Herron and Gaines Smith make up the first board.