The City of Vicksburg’s fiscal 2012 budget increased Tuesday by $292,000, to $30.35 million, after the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved 66 budget amendments to the general fund budget.

The amendments are the second set of changes to the 2012 budget approved this month. The board on Aug. 30 approved 127 budget amendments. The new amendments increase the final 2012 budget to $30.35 million, with a $518,278 fund balance.

The board on Sept. 11 approved a $28.89 million budget for the 2013 fiscal year that begins Monday. The amendments approved Tuesday were the final adjustments to clean up the books on the 2012 budget, which expires Sunday.

Tuesday’s vote was 2-0 after South Ward Aldermen Sid Beauman had stormed out of the meeting over two last-minute additions to the agenda that were discussed before the budget amendments were presented.

Beauman was riled over additions declaring the old lighting system at Bazinsky Field surplus and donating it to the county and a $40,000 Cities of Service reading grant, an application for which was made before board approval.

“This (the reading program) is a good program. But it is not supposed to be done this way. I could not support it presented in this way. I will not sign off on this or anything else that will be done in this meeting. Thank you very much,” Beauman said before getting up and walking out.

City accountant Doug Whittington said the budget amendments include projected increases in sales tax, gaming and real estate taxes for September, the final month of the fiscal year. He projected September sales tax and gaming revenue collections at $175,000 each and real estate tax collections at $147,900 for September.

The city received $687,455 in gaming revenue in August, about $219,690 more than August 2011. July sales tax collections, the most current figure available, totaled $622,198 for July, $6,701 more than for July 2011.

Whittington also included budget amendments for the city’s utility, solid waste and vehicle maintenance funds. All four funds are enterprise funds which are separate accounts supported by user fees. Vehicle maintenance is supported by fees charged to other city agencies for vehicle repairs.

Most of the adjustments, Whittington said, were for increases in the city’s contribution to the Public Employees Retirement System fund and its self-insured health insurance program.

The budget for the city’s wastewater/sewer fund was the only enterprise budget affected by the amendments, seeing a $316,000 increase in revenue, from $4.8 million to $5.12 million.

Beauman said after the meeting that the city’s policy is for the board to receive information on agenda items in sufficient time to study them.

“We have a procedure that has to be followed, and it wasn’t followed with either of these items,” he said. “I want to know what these items are about before I vote on them.”

Beauman and North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield were unaware that the Bazinsky lights and the grant were going to be on the agenda. Neither of the aldermen, nor Mayor Paul Winfield, saw the Sept. 19 letter from county recreation director James Harrison asking for the lights.

Mayfield said he discussed the reading grant Friday with city policy director Marie Thompson and Stefanie Ashford, an independent grant consultant, and told them to meet with city grants coordinator Marcia Weaver. He did not know the grant had been approved until Tuesday morning before the meeting, when Beauman called him.

“I didn’t even know we had applied,” he said. “I met with our attorney (Lee Thames) and he said to approve the participation, and then accept the grant when it came.”

Cities of Service is a coalition of 113 cities across the country, including Vicksburg, formed to help improve cities by getting residents more involved in their communities. The reading grant is funded by the retail chain Target and will be used for reading and literacy programs for children from kindergarten through third grade at Dana Road and Sherman Avenue elementary schools.

Winfield said he recommended that Ashford investigate whether the city qualified for the grant, and the application should have been approved by the board before it was submitted.

“She applied for it and it was approved. There was a deadline involved,” he said. “What we did today was agree to participate.”