"Is the Town of Greeneville broke?"

That's the question Alderman W.T. Daniels on Tuesday said he has heard recently from numerous citizens as town officials continue to work on the budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year, which began July 1.

Alderman Daniels made it clear that he does not believe the town is financially strapped, despite recent speculation about the question. In response to the speculation, Daniels stated Tuesday that "I beg to differ."

His comments were made during budget discussion near the end of the regular meeting of the Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Daniels said he wants to know the exact amount of the town's fund balance, and would like copies of several other documents related to the town government's finances:

* details of where city funds are invested and the interest rates on those investments;

* a list of all city employees and their individual salaries; and

* a copy of the most recent audit.

Daniels said he would like to have the information within the next day or so.

The information would come from the office of Recorder Jim Warner, but Warner is on vacation this week. He is expected to return on Friday.

Brenda Laney, an employee in the Recorder's Office, said she could provide some of the information now, and Warner could provide the rest of the information to Daniels when Warner returned to work.

Alderman Ginny Kidwell said she would like to see a copy of the budget.

The board held its first budget workshop on July 18 and plans to schedule another workshop in the near future.

Mayor Laraine King said Warner is continuing to work with some department heads on finalizing their budgets.

The board approved a "continuation budget" on July 1, allowing the city government to spend one-twelfth of its estimated funds until the budget is approved.

Daniels said several citizens had expressed concerns about Greeneville's finances because of recent changes that have been made within town departments.

One of the most significant changes has been the transfer of all of the maintenance workers in the Greeneville Parks & Recreation Department to the Greeneville Public Works Department.

Mayor King said the transfer was made to more efficiently complete maintenance work in both departments, which are facing employee shortages.

She said the town is under a "hiring freeze," and the two departments are down by a total of six employees.

In an interview last week, King said the routine maintenance of the Parks & Recreation Department will continue to be carried out.

She also said no salaries were changed as a result of the transfers.

In other business, Mayor King commended the Greeneville Fire Department and the Greeneville Police Department for "quick work" in responding to the July 31 fire that destroyed the former Bernard No. 2 tobacco warehouse.

"We're very proud of both departments and their hard work," Mayor King said.

She especially commended the firefighters' success in preventing the fire from damaging the adjacent Andrew Johnson Homestead, a national historic site.

The board appointed Bob King, Paul McAfee and Alderman Nancy Monger to the Greeneville Regional Planning Commission.

King and McAfee will fulfill the state's new requirement that the planning commission include two members who live outside the city limits but within the city's Urban Growth Boundary.

They will succeed Andy Southerland and Bill Seneker.

Monger was elected to the board July 15 by vote of the mayor and the other aldermen, to fill the First Ward alderman vacancy created by former Alderman King's election as Greeneville mayor.

Monger will fill the alderman's seat on the planning commission that was previously held by King, who will continue to serve on the planning commission but in the capacity of mayor.

The board also voted to authorize Mayor King to sign all documents related to the 2006 Roadscapes Grant issued by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Debbie Smith, town environmentalist, explained that the city in September 2006 applied for state funds to pay for signs and landscaping at six entryways into the city.

A total of $26,000 in funding for two entryways was approved in March 2007, Smith said.

Now, the contracts are ready to be signed, she said, which requires board approval.

When the board adjourned, it reconvened as the Greeneville Beer Board and approved two applications for beer permits:

* for off-premise consumption at Jay Yogesver Inc., Nareshbhai Hargovandas Patel, 711 Asheville Highway; and

* for on- and off-premise consumption at El Oaxaco, Laura Leigh Balbuena, 110 Mimosa Drive.

In both cases, GPD Chief Terry Cannon said background checks of the applicants and inspections of the locations showed no violations.